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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28842912">The Shattered Mirror</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mendeia/pseuds/Mendeia'>Mendeia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fate Is A Gift [22]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Leverage, Mighty Max</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Complicated Team Dynamics, Crossover, Gen, In Media Res, Team as Family, angst and friendship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:27:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>77,217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28842912</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mendeia/pseuds/Mendeia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>All Faith is false, all Faith is true: Truth is the shattered mirror strown<br/>In myriad bits; while each believes his little bit the whole to own.<br/>- Richard Francis Burton</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fate Is A Gift [22]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/34784</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Road to Nowhere</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is the last fic for Mighty Max I'll put up for a while, but it gave me a huge amount of joy to write. It's also the most 'in media res' thing I've ever done. So, if you're confused, I've done my job.</p><p>IF YOU ARE HERE FOR LEVERAGE -- This is a piece of a much larger and longer story arc in another fandom. There's a lot of context you won't have unless you've been reading FIAG along with me. I'll put a summary at the end of this chapter and, if you dare dive down this hole with me, I strongly suggest you read it. This fic isn't one I wrote for Leverage so much as it's one I wrote for the MM fandom and my dearest friends within it who loved the idea of tossing Max in with the crew. Please feel free to join us -- there will be some GOOD Leverage team stuff in this one. But maybe check the notes at the bottom here.</p><p>Each chapter has a theme song. Chapter one is "So Far Down" by Creed.</p><p>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Virgil let out a small smile, leaning back in his chair with a sigh of contentment. Though fall was in the air, the breeze was still mild this close to the ocean, and for once there was no sign of so much as a single cloud to bring cold rain and sleet upon them. He wasn't sure why this part of the world was so relaxing, but perhaps it was less the place and more the company.</p><p>"So, what's next, Virgil?"</p><p>"Hmm." The Lemurian did not need to consult his scrolls given how out of date they had become, but a smartphone with internet connection was certainly handy. "Looks like we may have a mutant incursion in Siberia in the next month or so."</p><p>"We could go early, though," the Mighty One said, blue eyes bright. "After all, the quicker we handle it, the less likely anyone ever finds out about it. Besides, we should take advantage of the season before the far north is plunged into true winter if possible."</p><p>"You are correct, of course." Virgil's smile widened. "Then I will make flight arrangements for next week."</p><p>"Perfect." The Mighty One smiled back. "We could also stop at your place in Mongolia if you need something."</p><p>"Thank you, but I have all I require these days already with me. The digital age has allowed me to consolidate a civilization's worth of scrolls into a few files online, and you know as well as I do that the Wall of Prophecy ceased being useful long ago."</p><p>"I'm not sure it could ever be called useful. After all, it only gave us a few hints here and there. Nothing specific that I could actually interpret."</p><p>"Well, for all your talents, Mighty One," Virgil said, "understanding the ways of Destiny has never been your strength. However, it does not matter."</p><p>"Because I have you for that."</p><p>"And ever shall, Mighty One."</p><p>"Now, Virgil." He leaned forward, shaking his head. The Cap shaded his face in the sunlight, but not enough to darken his easy, teasing expression. "I thought we'd finished talking about that."</p><p>"We have not," Virgil said, refusing to rise to the bait. "The fact that you have fulfilled your Destiny so well is no reason to discard your title of respect now."</p><p>"I haven't needed to be the Mighty One for hundreds of years, Virgil. Not since the last interdimensional rift manifested. These days, I'm not doing anything different from what any other hero across the world does on a daily basis. Or do you intend to start calling Beowulf a Mighty One as well?"</p><p>"Of course not! Beowulf is many good and noble things, Mighty One, but he is not you and never could be. You are unequalled by any hero ever known in the history of this world. And I will not apologize for feeling that such should be honored, even after so much time."</p><p>"And I," the Mighty One replied, "will not apologize for wanting you to put that aside so that we can stand as partners in these golden years ahead. I have another ten-thousand years of life ahead of me before the next trial. Will we truly argue about this until then?"</p><p>"And long after, if I have my way," Virgil said.</p><p>"Then I will make a bargain with you." His eyes twinkled. "If I can ask you a question to which you do not know the correct answer, you must call me by my given name for the rest of the month."</p><p>Virgil scoffed. "I highly doubt you can provide such a question, but very well. Since it amuses you so. Ask your question, Mighty One, and allow me to defeat you soundly."</p><p>The Mighty One grinned a smile that had graced a thousand battlefields and sent hundreds of enemies running in terror. "What is your current password to your email account?"</p><p>Virgil froze.</p><p>The Mighty One's expression sank into one of smug victory. "Oh, Virgil. Still you refuse to remember your own passwords?"</p><p>"It's just...I mean...there are so many...and they change so frequently…"</p><p>"Answer me correctly, Virgil, or pay the price."</p><p>Virgil drew in a deep breath. He could guess, but he was almost guaranteed to be wrong; even if he happened to guess the password as he had known it, it was very likely the Mighty One had already changed all his accounts again. He was prone to do so when bored, or feeling impish, or simply because he had the time to think on such frivolous pursuits.</p><p>"I yield. That was indeed a challenge I could not answer. I am proud of you for thwarting me so fully, Mighty One."</p><p>The Mighty One held up a finger and shook his head. "For the rest of the month starting now, Virgil."</p><p>"Oh, very well." He sighed. "Congratulations on your victory, Maximus."</p><p>-==OOO==-</p><p>Norman dropped the mats in the center of the gymnasium. He could have carried more at one time than the stack almost half his own height, but he only needed so many for today's activities. Thursdays were the best days of the week because he got the oldest kids in the middle school, which meant he could let loose a little more with them than with the younger ones. It was a delicate balance he had worked out when he switched to being a physical education teacher after the last round of wars — the younger the kids, the more gentle and supportive he needed to be. When they got older, the time came to push them as hard as they could stand.</p><p>And Norman knew better than anyone exactly what these kids could stand. After watching so many young warriors die in battles, sometimes younger than his students even, he could read a person and their hidden potential the way the English teachers read papers they assigned for homework. Norman was dense about a lot of things in this new modern world, from social media to memes, but he knew people. And people had not much changed in the last ten-thousand years.</p><p>It was his job to make sure these kids were around to keep humanity going for the next ten-thousand years, after all, and the best way to do that was to help them find their strength now when they still had time to make mistakes without endangering their futures.</p><p>He had just finished setting the mats out and pulling the rest of the gymnastics equipment out of the lockers when he heard the telltale sounds of teenage feet and voices in the hallway.</p><p>But one sound caught his attention more than the usual hallway ruckus.</p><p>"Look, we're here! You can let go now!"</p><p>"Apparently not, you little troublemaker. Just be quiet and show some respect for once in your rotten life!"</p><p>The second voice was one Norman knew all too well — one of the math teachers, Mister Simmons, was, in Norman's opinion, thoroughly unsuited to work with children of any age. He had no patience or tolerance, a cruelty-streak a mile wide, and handed out the most draconian detentions for little better than imagined slights. He also tended to fixate on a few kids every year whom he would blame for everything and anything, regardless of who was actually at fault.</p><p>Norman had brought up his concerns with the principal as well as the school board more than once, but Simmons had been part of the district long enough that it was too hard to fire him without more than just "he's too harsh" as a reason. It made Norman's blood boil.</p><p>Doubly so when he heard the small grunt of discomfort from another familiar voice.</p><p>Norman strode from the gym in time to see most of his incoming class disappear down the hallways that led to the locker-rooms to change. Simmons strode along with one hand wrapped in a vicious grip around the strap of a backpack which was currently attached to a student. Norman grimaced — technically, Simmons wasn't breaking protocol because he was not touching the student directly. However, there was no doubt his pull on the strap was uncomfortable at best and bruising at worst.</p><p>And the kid at his mercy — Norman sighed.</p><p>"Max, are you all right?" Norman asked.</p><p>Simmons glared at Norman before releasing the backpack with a shove, nearly sending the kid to his knees on the hard floor. Norman had the speed to catch him if needed, but the scrawny blond boy regained his balance quickly. He looked away from both teachers with a stoic expression.</p><p>"I caught him trying to sneak out of school again," Simmons said. "He's already skating close to another suspension. For his own good, I thought it better to escort him myself. See that you do the same at the end of your class." Simmons turned away as if the boy in question were not worth even a passing glance and returned the way he had come.</p><p>After Simmons was gone, Norman turned to Max fully. The boy's shoulders were high and his arms were folded in protectively.</p><p>"Did he hurt you?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>Norman had been around teenagers too long not to recognize that sullen tone.</p><p>"Did he say anything that was out of line?"</p><p>Max snorted and looked up. Norman was always taken aback by the boy's blue eyes. They were so bright, so lively, but all that energy was turned inwards, as if devouring the soul from within. He'd never seen such eyes in all his years of life, not once.</p><p>"Does it even matter?" Max returned the question, sneering. "The worst that happens is you put in another complaint for me, mom gets called into the office whenever she's back in town, and all the teachers are mad at me all over again. Who cares anymore?"</p><p>"I care, Max," Norman said. "Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. You included."</p><p>"Well, you're the only one who thinks so."</p><p>Norman knew he was going to do it before it happened. Body language gave kids away every time, and Max's shouted louder than most.</p><p>Max turned on his heel and headed for the door. "I don't feel up to gym class today, coach. Thanks for sticking up for me. I won't get you in trouble for it. See ya."</p><p>And he was gone.</p><p>Norman was sorely tempted to follow him, to make him come back, to get the kid to open up. But he'd tried to reach the kid almost every day since the first time Max set foot in his gym with those spirited eyes and a heart that seemed cold and empty. He would always be there if Max came back, if Max allowed him to help, but Max wasn't his only student and he had others counting on him.</p><p>Heart heavy at watching another promising soul slipping away, Norman turned back to his gym to finish preparations for the class — now one down.</p><p>-==OOO==-</p><p>Max ducked out of school through a side door away from most of the classrooms with teachers who hated his guts. Well, that was most teachers besides Coach Norman, but still. He'd had it with Simmons and his superiority and all the other kids in the class laughing while he got the short end of the stick. It's not like he didn't want to learn some stuff; he just never seemed to hold onto anything for long.</p><p>Once clear of the building, Max set off for downtown. Theirs wasn't a big city, but it was big enough that he could blend in, or at least hide out, and hopefully avoid any more trouble for the day. He couldn't go anywhere near any place other kids cutting school would hang out without risking being caught for truancy again, but at least he could be on his own without having to deal with the hostile glares all around. And that was better than going home to suffocating silence again.</p><p>Max wondered for the millionth time when it had gotten so bad. Not just school — life.</p><p>For as long as he could remember, Max had been different from his peers. They read comic books and played arcade games and swung around plastic swords like he did, but then they went home and ate dinner and went to bed without the gaping hole in their chests that followed him every minute of every day. He'd asked others periodically, but no one seemed to understand why he couldn't just laugh sometimes, or how he was always cold even in a hot tub or baking under the summer sun.</p><p>Maybe he was just cursed.</p><p>That had been his working theory for the last few years. Everybody knew that magic and monsters and curses weren't real, but obviously people thought they had been a long time ago. Maybe there weren't real curses now, but Max could be the last holdout. That would follow with the rest of his awful luck, after all.</p><p>There was no other explanation for any of it. For the pit of icy black despair that lived somewhere around his diaphragm and never evaporated or abated. For the constant restlessness that manifested in a lifelong lack of appetite, constant twitchiness especially in sleep, and a permanent feeling of being ready to bolt like a baby deer scenting a bear. For the pervasive emotions and thoughts that were as dark as dark could be — and always focused on how Max simply didn't belong and shouldn't even try. Exercise, medication, meditation, therapy, even a brief period with a support dog hadn't made so much as a dent in any of it. The one and only reason Max hadn't done anything that would land him under supervised care in a hospital was that he loved his mom and couldn't let her down.</p><p>If not for that, if not for mom, Max knew with total certainty that he wouldn't have made it to middle school. Intentionally or by happy accident, he would have exited the world long ago.</p><p>He remembered a class assignment from elementary school — while practicing writing, the class had been asked to write down their favorite day ever. Others in his class wrote about a trip to a big sporting event, or a birthday, or a visit to a beloved relative. Max's entry had been the shortest, and the teacher had given him a failing mark for it.</p><p>"I do not have a favorite. I have never had a good day worth remembering."</p><p>That was back when he still told his mom about his feelings, about the creeping depression that gripped him with barbed wire and chain every minute of the day. Back when his feelings and lack thereof resulted in nearly daily calls from the school home. His mom took it all in stride as she did everything else. Even though her job took her away from him more often than she would have liked, she was always attentive to him, always looking out for him.</p><p>Eventually, Max realized he needed to look out for her in return and quit being a problem holding her back. Two years ago, he managed to convince her that he was "better now" and that he didn't need her to give up her life for him anymore. The therapy appointments stopped, the service dog went to a more deserving kid, and Max resolved to endure in silence for her as best he could.</p><p>It mostly worked — his mom had gotten used to him having problems at school long ago, and as long as his grades weren't abysmal and he didn't get brought home by the police, she accepted that her son was not going to be a straight-A model student and that was as much as either of them could expect from him. She checked in with him frequently when she was away, and made sure to spend time with him whenever she was home for any length of time, but Max was sure he wasn't the only one relieved when she returned to her work and travel full-time. He'd also gotten really good at forging her signature when the school sent letters home reporting on his behavior, demanding an acknowledgement from his parent or guardian that they were aware of the problem. Max figured his mom was happier not knowing, and out there living her life the way she wanted without him weighing her down.</p><p>It wasn't her fault he'd been born cursed, after all.</p><p>Max rounded a corner and picked up the pace, listening carefully for anyone approaching him. There weren't any parts of the city that he would call "bad," not the way he'd seen them on the rare occasions he had traveled with his mom to other cities and countries anyway, but this was definitely one of the trouble spots in town. For about six blocks in every direction, he would have to be careful if he didn't want to get jumped. He'd already been mugged once this year, and he didn't care to repeat the experience.</p><p>Ducking his head into his thin coat, he stubbornly avoided eye contact and made himself look like anything but a target. The only good part about walking through this area was that he wasn't likely to run into any adults with that air of do-gooder about them who would demand to know why he wasn't in school and threaten to call some kind of protective services for him. Right now, Max would rather get mugged again than deal with that kind of well-meaning, useless attention.</p><p>He was most of the way through the trouble spot and into the start of the university district when he heard a yell from down an alleyway.</p><p>Later he would wonder what made him run towards the sound of distress. He was certain he'd never done such a thing before in his life.</p><p>Past a few big dumpsters, Max saw four big guys circling around a woman with long dark hair who was dressed far too nicely for the dingy alleyway.</p><p>Max didn't stop to listen to their jeering taunts. He just charged.</p><p>As he reached the group, he pulled off his backpack and threw it with all his strength. For all that Max was scrappy and uncoordinated, that backpack weighed a ton with all his schoolbooks in it. It hit the nearest guy in the head and knocked him down.</p><p>Max used the moment of surprise to dart straight through the crowd, head-butting another of the guys in the gut with all the momentum of his sprint.</p><p>"Run!" he yelled to the woman.</p><p>"Don't have to tell me twice!" With surprising agility for the heels she wore, she took off in his wake, just barely dodging a grab from one of the two still standing.</p><p>Max had only taken a few more steps, feeling like maybe this was going to work out okay and they would get away, when his curse hit him again, because of course it did.</p><p>This time, literally. Something sharp and painful struck him on the back of one of his shoulders, and he dropped with a cry of pain.</p><p>Max curled up, one hand reaching instinctively for his shoulder. His fingers hit blood and he realized that someone had hit him with a board that had nails sticking out of it. He could tell because the board was still stuck to him, nails buried deep.</p><p>The woman he had tried to rescue stopped, kneeling beside him.</p><p>"Help's coming," she said. "Can you stand?"</p><p>Max shook his head, biting back the urge to cry.</p><p>The two goons he'd hit recovered and all four stood looming over him and the woman. The two he'd hurt were flushed with anger, and the other two looked smug.</p><p>Max missed whatever they said, though; what he noticed was the way the woman visibly relaxed all of a sudden.</p><p>And then there was a fifth pair of shoes in his line of sight — just behind the crowd of thugs.</p><p>"You're late," the woman said.</p><p>The four goons had just enough time to look confused before someone tore into them from behind. In a fury of fists and elbows and feet, a human blur crushed the four into the ground, not letting up until every one of them was down, unconscious, bleeding, and sporting obvious broken limbs.</p><p>"Sorry," came a gruff voice. "You okay?"</p><p>"I'm fine, but…"</p><p>Max's vision was swimming now, so he could really only see the outline of a face leaning over him and gentle hands probing at his shoulder. He must have made a sound, because the probing stopped immediately.</p><p>A conversation went on over his head, and it didn't make sense until he heard mention of calling "the police, or his parents, or both."</p><p>"Don't," he managed. "No point. Don't...call anybody."</p><p>He was pretty sure the next thing was stunned silence, but it was hard to tell, because the next thing for him was some very welcome unconsciousness.</p><p>He floated uncomfortably for a while, not awake, not asleep, not dreaming, just fuzzy and dim, but that was okay because his constant companion of nagging awfulness was just as out of it as he was. When he finally woke up, there was a dull pain in his shoulder, a thick bandage stretched across his torso, a warm blanket covering him up, and a monologue going on in the background of which he appeared to be the subject.</p><p>"...Anyway, his home life seems okay, but he's alone an awful lot. Like, his mom is off in <em>Micronesia </em>right now and her flight plan says she won't be home for a couple more months. His last visit with a therapist was more than two years ago, and all his teachers seem kind of indifferent. Kid doesn't even have any social media accounts, and, like, who <em>does</em> that in this day and age? Don't say a word, I'm <em>not </em>talking about technologically-incompetent hermits like you, but regular people, okay? Getting back to before I was <em>nearly interrupted</em> and don't think I don't see your face but I am choosing not to care right now, his diagnoses are all over the map. Everybody agrees there's something not right about him, but nobody knows what, and other than his mom it looks like nobody cares."</p><p>"They don't."</p><p>It took Max a moment to realize he'd spoken aloud. He sighed and pushed his eyes open.</p><p>Well, this was a weird place to wake up, so that was something. It looked like the inside of a conference room, but one that had been co-opted from something else. A large table had been pushed forward where it could sit in front of a big screen and projector. But back here was a stash of various random couches and chairs as if somebody had stuffed their living room furniture in here. Open on the floor next to him was the remains of a first aid kit. Hanging over a nearby chair he could see his bloodied shirt and jacket.</p><p>Four people were sitting at the table in front of him and one stood beyond it.</p><p>"How are you feeling, Max?"</p><p>Max pushed himself up so he could balance his weight on an elbow and considered the man who asked. Floppy brown hair, blue eyes, suit jacket, drink in his hand. He looked like any off-duty businessman Max had ever passed on the street.</p><p>But there was an edge, a razor blade in the man's eyes that could cut both ways, and Max knew in an instant that this man was so much more than he seemed.</p><p>"Like I got stabbed by some nails," Max said, causing the man to almost flinch before huffing a laugh.</p><p>"Well, you're not wrong about that."</p><p>Max realized that someone had moved — he'd been so caught up in a staring contest he hadn't noticed until now. The man who stood over him now was compact, square, with long hair and even bluer eyes. And some animal instinct deep in Max's chest stuttered to life just long enough to tell him that this was the most dangerous person Max had ever met besides Coach Norman, and Coach Norman could never really be dangerous. But this was the first and only person Max had ever thought could maybe take Coach one or two falls out of three.</p><p>Then, of course, that burst of feeling died, like all feeling did, and retreated back into the black hole that was his sorry excuse for a soul.</p><p>"I patched you up," the man said, and Max knew that voice from the rescuer in the alley. "Hurts like hell, I bet, but not serious. If you want to go to a hospital, they'll just take out my stitches and put in their own anyway."</p><p>He didn't smile, but Max felt it anyway. He swallowed and nodded.</p><p>"Thanks. I appreciate it."</p><p>"You helped us out," was the answer he received verbally. Non-verbally, Max was fairly sure that these two people were seeing a lot more than he intended. But then, what did he really have that mattered to share anyway? Let them look — he didn't care.</p><p>The dark haired woman approached, now wearing a more casual outfit and sneakers. "It was very brave, what you did. Patching you up was the least we could do. Are you hungry? We have some leftovers."</p><p>Max shook his head, and rather than meet any of the three pairs of eyes on him — this was exactly what he wanted to avoid! — he peeked at the other two people in the room. One was a tall, thin black man with a tablet in his hands who had not-too-subtly tried to hide the plethora of Max's records up on the screen for all to see. The other, though, had long blonde hair and she was absolutely staring at him.</p><p>Max scowled at her. "What's your problem?"</p><p>The dark haired woman looked over her shoulder. "Parker?"</p><p>"He's like me," Parker said. Her face did something Max couldn't quite identify. "Like me the way I was before."</p><p>"Parker…" the scary man with the razor eyes began.</p><p>"Look at him, Nate. He's just like me." Parker folded her arms. "He's wrong, the way I was wrong."</p><p>Max couldn't be offended because he understood exactly what she meant, and she couldn't have put it more simply or accurately. So he just shrugged.</p><p>"I really hope you're wrong about that, because nobody deserves this," Max said.</p><p>Then his chin was gripped in a fist, and Max found his nose inches from the face of the person who had beat up all those guys and bandaged his shoulder. He could only look for a moment, though, before he couldn't meet those eyes anymore.</p><p>Max hadn't known other people who were basically normal on the outside could still be screaming inside, either.</p><p>When his chin was released, he shut his eyes, not wanting to see anymore. Not wanting to see the chasm in his chest reflected yet another time. Max had always been the only one who was broken. Incomplete. He didn't really want to find out that others had been living with this same despair. The world shouldn't be that unfair.</p><p>"He's staying with us," came the low voice beside him. "Hardison said his mom isn't even here and I want to keep an eye on those stitches for a while. He's staying with us."</p><p>There was a deep sigh that ended in a defeated chuckle. "Fine."</p><p>Max opened his eyes. "Why? Just out of curiosity."</p><p>"Sweetie, we help people," the dark haired woman said. "And it looks like you need it."</p><p>"Since when did we become the happiness police?" the man Parker had called Nate wanted to know.</p><p>"Since always," the black man, Hardison, said. "Don't pretend otherwise."</p><p>"Fine." But Max could see that it wasn't capitulation at all — it was victory. He wondered how long this man had known that these people would want to keep him.</p><p>Max didn't wonder if he wanted to be kept. He never wanted anything, really, after all.</p><p>"So, I'm Nate, and that's Sophie, Eliot, Parker, and Hardison. Apparently we're keeping you around for a while. If you're okay with that."</p><p>Max shrugged again. "Nowhere else to go, nothing better to do."</p><p>"It's a good start," Nate said. "Welcome to Leverage Incorporated."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi Leverage friends!</p><p>So, Mighty Max is a cartoon that aired in the 90s about a kid with a magic hat that opens portals which allows him to roam around the world saving the day from ghosts, monsters, various mythological creatures, etc. There are only a handful of us who actually watched it, and a tiny number of us who write in the fandom. I'm probably the most prolific these days. It's a fandom that's very close to my heart.</p><p>What you need to know about MM to follow me is this: Max is the Mighty One, the destined hero of the world who has triumphed over demigods, aliens, werewolves, ancient demons, and evil sorcerers. He typically does so with the help of Virgil, a diminutive birdlike species, and Norman, a near-immortal warrior who protects Max along the way. In the last set of adventures I've been writing, Max and Virgil and Norman have had their bonds of friendship and trust tested and torn many times. But, at the same time, as they close in on the destined day when Max will take on his greatest enemy of all, Max is steadily growing into the hero he needs to be. He is long past the days of "why me, why did I have to get chosen, waaaah" and is a fully engaged, willing participant in all the world-saving. </p><p>His greatest inborn gift is that the world tends to go his way. Call it luck, or Fate, or what have you -- if there are a hundred buttons in front of Max and he has to choose one at random to stop the diabolical device, he'll hit the right one every time. Max has learned to lean on that gift, to trust himself and his powers, and to step up again and again against the evils that plague his world. He combines this with snappy comebacks, puns, and generally snarking bad guys into submission. He is a trickster at heart.</p><p>That's who Max is *supposed* to be. You'll learn very quickly in this story that this isn't who he is *right now.* And the reasons for that are not supposed to make sense to anyone yet. So no worries. My MM fans will look and know that something is badly wrong with their favorite hero, to say nothing of Virgil and Norman. But you Leverage folks, you can probably start from here. After all, Nate and the crew certainly will. Just...don't be surprised when things take a turn to the side.</p><p>I hope that helps. As you have questions, I'll try to answer them. And I'll leave notes as often as I can to explain things so you have a smooth entry into this story if you so choose. It's like bringing two disparate friend groups together - I have to give you both enough to go on. I hope it works...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Farther Than Ever Before</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The alternate quote I almost used for this story is:</p>
<p>Life begins on the other side of despair. — Jean-Paul Sartre</p>
<p>And the song for today's chapter is Transatlanticism" by Death Cab for Cutie.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Morgan le Fay knew she could never rightly consider herself to be a tranquil person. She could present a serene exterior, cold and implacable, but that was less her natural state and more an assumed guise developed over her years of study to garner respect. Women who possessed power were so often considered wild or driven by their emotions, considered unstable like a rampaging horse — which had always irritated Morgan, since it was the males, the stallions, who were far more likely to rampage and with fewer consequences.</p>
<p>So Morgan had learned to pour water over her burning soul, schooling even her thoughts until she was still and icy, controlled and remote. Her time in the void had much lessened her control, but such had returned quickly until she could still maintain her command in the mind of the Chosen One.</p>
<p>However, when his mind was distant, she allowed her true, passionate heart to beat as it had once long ago. In wonder for the new world she saw through the eyes of the Chosen One. In still-burning fury for what Merlin had done and what he had taken from her. In desperate hope that the Chosen One might yet keep his promise to find a way to free her.</p>
<p>But tonight, with the Chosen One's absence, Morgan was an <em>inferno</em>.</p>
<p>She did not know what had happened. Her last memories were of the Chosen One, Virgil, and Norman embarking on what they called a 'camping trip,' organized by the Chosen One after the stressful events of the last few weeks. He did not blame Morgan for her part in those stresses, but he explained that he thought he and his Guardian and Teacher might benefit from some time in the wilderness. "To reconnect," he'd said.</p>
<p>Morgan could clearly recall the packing of belongings for the journey, and the travel using a few portals to an arid land far from human habitation. She remembered the building of the campfire, and the steady ease that crept over the Chosen One and his companions as they watched the stars emerge from the folds of the sky.</p>
<p>And then, like a door slamming, Morgan's awareness outside the void and in the mind of the Chosen One vanished. Without so much as a tremor of fear or awareness, it was gone.</p>
<p>It should not have been possible.</p>
<p>Even in sleep or deeply unconscious, she should be able to reach him through the energies that bound them. The only sword that could so completely sever their bond was —</p>
<p>She would not think it. She could not imagine a world where the Chosen One was dead.</p>
<p>Trapped again in the foul pocket of darkness that had held her for so long, Morgan's rage built and burst. She threw a tantrum that would have put the ancient gods to shame, and had anything corporeal been within reach, she would have demolished it beyond recognition. Waves of power crashed from her, spinning wildly and aimlessly against the eternal void.</p>
<p>Rage was the only reaction that kept Morgan from despair, after all.</p>
<p>With no way to track the passage of time in the world outside, Morgan did not know how long she spent screaming fire and fury. Finally, she forced herself to regain control of herself, though her hands shook as she curled them into fists.</p>
<p>Madness would not help. It would not save her, nor the Chosen One.</p>
<p>She must <em>think</em>.</p>
<p>Assuming that the Chosen One was still alive — he must be, he <em>must </em>be — he could only be in the greatest of danger. She must find a way through the darkness to him, regardless of the consequences. As she had broken the laws of magic once, she would break them again.</p>
<p>Morgan would lose nothing she loved ever again.</p>
<p>What could separate the Chosen One's mind from her own? There could only be a few possibilities. His mind had found hers in her pocket dimension as his own powers grew, those which bound him to the energies of creation and those which separated the worlds and preserved them. Those energies themselves could not be undone.</p>
<p>Well, his world could have collapsed entirely, and that would cut off those energies, of course. But that would still end with the result Morgan could not stand, so she must proceed assuming such a devastating, dimension-wide catastrophe had not occured.</p>
<p>What more could remove the inborn powers of the Chosen One? Or silence them?</p>
<p>A powerful mage, more powerful than herself, perhaps. Skullmaster had not the ability to do so without the Chosen One's consent as in Toyama, but he was hardly the only powerful evil to threaten the world and the goodness within it. He was but one demon in a lineage, and Morgan did not know how many more might wait to consume an unsuspecting planet. A demon might have the power, or have bestowed such power upon a human mage foolish enough to bargain with one.</p>
<p>The Chosen One's own memories had also shown Morgan that theirs was not the only planet in the cosmos with life upon it, and though he had not considered it, she had certainly wondered what other worlds might possess magic as well. What evils might descend from the sky, intent upon interfering with the single greatest source of power on the surface of the Earth? The Chosen One was both a tempting target and an obstacle to be eliminated by any being canny enough to threaten his world while he lived to fight for it.</p>
<p>Then, of course, there were the mysteries of science, such as the artificial powers possessed by those called the Ghostbusters. Harnessing the very powers of creation, of that which is and that which is not, they could feign abilities that even Morgan might struggle to command. With such in the hands of mortals, any number of evil powers could exist. Morgan had few good memories of men with power from her time in the world, and she did not imagine that the race of power-hungry kings had much improved in her absence.</p>
<p>And yet. Could any power truly supercede the strength of the soul of the Chosen One? Even if he himself had been removed to a dimension like her own prison, she should be able to reach him just the same, for those powers that bound them were the frame upon which all creation everywhere must hang. There should be nowhere he was beyond his own powers.</p>
<p>Perhaps Morgan had assumed too much. Perhaps their bond had <em>not </em>been severed. Perhaps it had been merely suppressed, hidden. Lost, somehow, from his mind and senses, but not from existence.</p>
<p>It was certainly a more optimistic outcome, and it might yet prove to be more logical as well. After all, the Chosen One, for all his power, was still young and vulnerable. When Morgan had first touched his seeking mind, she had realized he had no defenses against one such as herself. He had not even realized he had forged a connection until she revealed it to him.</p>
<p>And if the Chosen One managed to lose himself to the mind of another, he might well forget the paths that led from his mind to her.</p>
<p>But that would mean that those paths remained open. Obscured, dormant, but still present.</p>
<p>Morgan had sworn first to herself, and later to the Chosen One, that she would not enter his mind without his permission. That she would never repeat the actions of Skullmaster's invasion. That he could trust her with his soul because she would cherish it as she did her own autonomy. But perhaps...perhaps she must bend that vow.</p>
<p>For if the Chosen One was under attack, she must save him. There would always be time to repair any feelings damaged between them as long as he was alive and their bond strong again. But if she were to delay, she might lose her chance to help him.</p>
<p>Morgan centered herself, choosing to believe that the Chosen One was not divided from her beyond what she could overcome. She would have to tread carefully, probe the powers between them until she found the tendrils that would lead to the roads once her only escape. She could not barrel against the barrier of the Chosen One's mind like a brute or risk harming him.</p>
<p>But if even one gossamer thread bound them still, she would find it and follow it. And if she found the Chosen One's mind locked in a dungeon of its own, she would free it.</p>
<p>It was nothing to what she owed him, and it was nothing less than she would do even if she owed him no debt. The Chosen One was her companion in her despair. Her hope for freedom.</p>
<p>Her friend.</p>
<p>Morgan would save him, would reunite them, and together they would teach whatever dared interfere with the Chosen One why such was the most foolish mistake in the history of life on this world.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Nate considered the boy in front of him.</p>
<p>On paper, everything Hardison could find from tracing the kid's school ID should have been simple and straightforward. Just a kid with a single mom doing the best they could. Max was small for his age, but he showed no history of abuse or neglect. Instead, his profile was dominated by a near-constant interest in his mental health, and yet the insurance claims and prescriptions that had suddenly stopped all at once just didn't make sense. After speaking to Max for a matter of seconds, he could not believe that abrupt stop in care was because he had been faking the depression.</p>
<p>Nate thought he was faking his recovery since, instead.</p>
<p>It wouldn't be the first time he encountered someone who just couldn't stand to face their problems anymore and hoped it all went away, but he couldn't see that in the kid's eyes when he looked at him. This wasn't a boy who was trying to fake being well out of cowardice.</p>
<p>This was a boy brave enough to pretend he was okay to save his mother some grief.</p>
<p>Nate had to swallow some of his own feelings at that. No kid should have to protect their parent. That was simply not how it worked. Kids were supposed to grow up feeling safe and loved, their parents guarding them and supporting them and encouraging them until they could stand on their own feet.</p>
<p>A little bit like what Nate had done for Eliot and Hardison and Parker, but so much more critical when the kid in question was just a teenager.</p>
<p>He had already taken an interest in this scrawny boy when Sophie asked for help over the comms and he charged in unexpectedly. Sophie said after that it looked like his body was moving before he even realized it, that he was as surprised as she was when he intervened. He'd shed blood protecting Sophie, which was truly above and beyond the call of any bystander's duty as far as Nate was concerned. For that, he'd earned a favor from Nate, and possibly a debt from Eliot as well.</p>
<p>As seriously as Nate took the protection of the team, Eliot took it exponentially more personally.</p>
<p>While Eliot was patching up Sophie's rescuer, Hardison had started his background check, and then everything changed. The dark hollows under the boy's eyes took on new meaning as Nate looked through everything Hardison could find from school records to digitized medical records (and he agreed with Hardison that they really shouldn't put that stuff on servers, but stupidity and shortsightedness were both virtues in corporate systems he might have to take apart so he wasn't going to complain). The picture painted wasn't pretty, and it tore at him. Not because Max was so close to how old Sam would be. Not that. Of course it wasn't that.</p>
<p>But when Max opened his eyes and Nate got a good look at the real person behind the data, that's when all their fates were sealed. Nate knew, even before Parker spoke, before Eliot did his own assessment, that Max wasn't going home tonight. Not with no mom waiting for him, blood on his shirt, and a death wish in his heart.</p>
<p>Leverage Incorporated had saved many less worthy people than a teenager whose mind was playing cruel games with his soul.</p>
<p>As Sophie had told that doctor on the rehab job, Parker needed to be with people like her, people who understood her. That was where she could find healing and safety. Apparently Max needed the same, and he wasn't going to get it alone in an empty house or in a school that had no time for him. And that was assuming either Parker or Eliot would let go of the kid.</p>
<p>He'd seen both go to great lengths for kids before, seen the icy vulnerability in them when faced with a child in pain. Nate was pretty sure he'd have been overruled by the pair of them if he even began to breathe a word about sending Max home. So it was simpler just to accept the situation as it was going to be and take control of it than try to run things from the back.</p>
<p>But that still left him figuring out what exactly to do with an underage kid on the brink of the void while also trying to run a job in an unfamiliar city with goons apparently out for blood.</p>
<p>Well, he wasn't a Mastermind for nothing.</p>
<p>First things first. Nate needed to get Max from his own grudging acceptance of being effectively adopted (or kidnapped) to a spark of interest. A little bit of mystery and adventure should appeal to a kid who threw himself into a street brawl armed only with an overly-heavy backpack. Then Max might open up, just an inch, just for a moment.</p>
<p>And Nate could get his hooks into him properly. Or let Parker or Eliot do it. Whoever was quickest and had the best angle of attack.</p>
<p>It wasn't that different from running a con, after all. He just had to get under Max's skin and direct him where he wanted him. Unlike Sophie giving marks their desires to fool them, though, Nate intended to find Max's heart and pull it into the light with his own two hands.</p>
<p>Max responded to Nate's cheeky welcome with a vague nod. "Okay. So, what's Leverage Incorporated and what do you do?"</p>
<p>"We're thieves!" Parker announced, grinning. "At least, most of the time. I'm always a Thief. Except when they make me a Grifter. Mostly that's Sophie's job."</p>
<p>Sophie sighed at Parker's choppy explanation. "What you must understand is that sometimes good, honest people don't have many options when they are in trouble. So we have found a...nontraditional manner of offering our assistance."</p>
<p>"By being thieves?" Max raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"Or whatever it takes to bring down the bad guys and get our clients some payback," Hardison put in. "Parker's our Thief, Sophie's our Grifter, I'm the Hacker, Nate bosses us around, and Eliot is Mister Punchy."</p>
<p>Parker pointed at Nate. "Mastermind." She pointed at Eliot. "Hitter."</p>
<p>"Pretty sure that's what I said," Hardison said.</p>
<p>Nate watched Max absorb the information as well as the way in which it was delivered. His face was still closed in a way Nate didn't like, but there was a twist to his almost-smile that gave Nate hope. He shot a lightning-quick look to Eliot, who gave a nod only someone looking for it would see.</p>
<p>"Sometimes," Eliot said, "bad guys make the best good guys. And sometimes bad guys are the only good guys you get."</p>
<p>"So you...you help people by committing crimes against the people who hurt them?"</p>
<p>"Well." Nate let himself stretch out of his adopted slouch, a tiny bit of a hunter leaking through his casual posture. "Yeah. Except we don't just commit crimes. We ruin people. Completely and utterly." He said it flippantly in a way that made it anything but.</p>
<p>As calculated, that undercurrent of danger caused Max to perk up a bit, rather than shrink back.</p>
<p>"You don't have a problem hanging out with us even though we're on the fuzzy side of the law, do you?" Hardison asked, and Nate was impressed that he read the situation so clearly.</p>
<p>That twist in his face grew a little, and Max managed the nearest thing to a smile they'd seen yet from him.</p>
<p>"Nope. So what bad guy are you taking apart?"</p>
<p>Nate turned back to the screen, hiding the victory in his eyes.</p>
<p>He didn't have to look to know that Eliot was helping Max to his feet, guiding him to Sophie's abandoned chair. He didn't have to look to know that Sophie was getting the kid a glass of water and a snack. He didn't have to look to know that Parker had inched her chair just a tiny bit closer to Max. He didn't have to look to know that Hardison was running the briefing on their current mark from the beginning instead of starting in the middle.</p>
<p>Some things come as easily as breathing. Some have to be fought for.</p>
<p>They'd fought for teamwork and found family. After that, moving around one another, anticipating each other, that came to them now with the kind of natural rhythm that went beyond words.</p>
<p>"Normally we work out of Boston," Hardison was saying, "but our client came all the way out there to ask us to help. And since today's scumbag is a particularly tricky one, we figured it was worth the trip out here."</p>
<p>The picture he put on the screen was one Nate had been staring at for the full two weeks they took to prep this job before they ever came this far. Now, another five days deep, he was thoroughly sick of the face of Doctor Gabriel Bakerson. His hair was greying, his beard patchy in a way that looked particularly distinguished, and his dark eyes seemed warm and jovial.</p>
<p>He was the kind of monster Nate wanted to <em>crush</em>.</p>
<p>"He runs a free clinic when he isn't working at the local hospital or his own private practice," Hardison continued. "On paper, he seems to be a fine, upstanding member of society with everybody wrapped around his little finger like an evil social butterfly. Until you realize that he's using his connections and his money to turn himself into a drug kingpin."</p>
<p>"Stuff that's legal in small doses," Parker said. "But gets people messed up, and they can't live without it. He sells it to his patients, his customers, and to the guys on the street who make it worse." She paused. "Also, butterflies don't wrap around fingers. That's caterpillars."</p>
<p>"It's not our usual sort of job," Sophie put in before they could get too far off track. "But the local police haven't been able to get anywhere with him. Our client lost her father three years ago, but their investigation is still 'ongoing.'" She scowled. "They're in his pocket."</p>
<p>"We're not sure yet if it's a mole on their side feeding info back to Bakerson," Nate decided to clarify, "or if the cops themselves are part of the operation. Either way, every day that passes sees him entrench himself in his little kingdom of dependent people who trusted him and drug dealers who work as his enforcers on the street."</p>
<p>"So what can you do about somebody like that?" Max wanted to know.</p>
<p>It was Eliot who leaned on the table beside him and answered.</p>
<p>"It's called the Triple Deke con. It means coming at the mark from three different angles, three different stories. It makes it harder for him to figure out we're working together, but it also means we're spread pretty thin."</p>
<p>"I'm Annie Croy," Sophie said, slipping into the accent and persona; Max shivered as he watched the transformation. "Got my own little kingdom back in London, but we're always on the lookout for new partners, especially those clever enough not to make a name for themselves."</p>
<p>She gestured to Eliot. "This here's my associate. He keeps the riff-raff from thinking they can take advantage while I'm negotiating."</p>
<p>"Meanwhile," Parker took up the tale, "Nate is working with the cops as a DHS investigator who may or may not be dirty, too. Kinda depends which way it goes."</p>
<p>"And Parker and I are hanging back for now, tracking leads, spying on Bakerson, generally trying to put together his whole operation so we can take it apart. Later, we'll probably call the FBI since we've got pretty good aliases with them so we can get him arrested."</p>
<p>"Those guys you fought were after Sophie," Eliot said, and Nate could feel his anger that she'd been targeted when he wasn't at her side. "Some kind of welcoming committee, and a test."</p>
<p>"To see if she's worth dealing with," Nate finished.</p>
<p>"Which," Sophie said in her normal voice, "I very much am."</p>
<p>"Sometime in the next few hours, Sophie should get a call from Bakerson or someone he trusts to vet her in person. With the DHS starting to breathe down their necks, they might want an offshore ally until the heat goes down." Nate gestured for Hardison to change the image, pulling up a picture of a very run-down free clinic. "He'll ask for a meeting, probably here."</p>
<p>"Isn't it dangerous?" Max asked.</p>
<p>"That's why Eliot's coming with me," Sophie said.</p>
<p>Max looked up at Eliot and his forehead wrinkled in contemplation. Nate leaned forward to watch his thought process.</p>
<p>To Nate's surprise, it wasn't doubt or uncertainty on Max's face. The kid, having only known them for a few minutes, simply did not question Eliot's abilities or his dedication. And yet, he was uncomfortable. Feelings and impressions flashed across his face — microexpressions, tiny movements of individual muscles, but enough for Nate to read — and finally Max settled on an expression Nate knew all too well.</p>
<p>Grief, and longing, and loss.</p>
<p>Ah, of course. For a kid largely on his own in the world, struggling, in pain, the certainty of having someone at his side would seem an impossible dream. Nate himself remembered that feeling of being totally adrift, no one to rely upon, no one to watch out for him or for him to protect, facing the storms and shadows of his life entirely alone. He hadn't fully appreciated how badly he needed someone until four someones walked into his life.</p>
<p>Some people could go through hell alone, but some simply couldn't. Max was the kind of kid who badly needed someone at his side to protect him from his demons, to stand with him against the darkness. But he had no one, save for a mom who obviously loved her kid (if the medical bills were anything to go by) but just didn't have the time and possibly didn't understand the scope of the problem.</p>
<p>Nate resolved then and there that Max wouldn't spend one instant alone, not while Leverage Incorporated had something to say about it. He needed help, needed support, needed something to beat back the silence that led to screaming.</p>
<p>And, with half a glance at Eliot, Nate knew that his Hitter was entirely aware of it as well. After all, that longing, sorrowful look was trained on him.</p>
<p>Eliot, Nate believed, was the kind of person who <em>could</em> walk through hell alone, relying on no one, but he was <em>better</em> for having company. Parker was the same way.</p>
<p>Nate thought perhaps those two might be the cure for Max the way Hardison had been for them.</p>
<p>"So," Nate said, interrupting the momentary silence, "while we're waiting for that call, let's plan our next move."</p>
<p>"Do you need me to leave?" Max asked.</p>
<p>Nate was honestly surprised. Just as quickly, he realized he should have guessed the kid would react that way — after all, he was an outsider used to having no one's time or attention.</p>
<p>He quickly shook his head. "No. Apparently we're keeping you, Max. Unless you don't want to be involved, I don't see any reason you can't stick around."</p>
<p>"You could always help us with surveillance," Hardison offered.</p>
<p>"Now, wait a minute," Sophie said, shoulders up and tight. "It's one thing for us to invite him along when we're here and relatively safe. It's something else entirely to put him in the line of fire, especially on a job this dangerous."</p>
<p>"Uh, about that." Max's head came up. "Do those guys know you're here? I mean, they attacked you right in the alleyway."</p>
<p>"We're using that old hotel as a base for Annie Croy," Eliot said. "This one is halfway across the city. But he's got a good point." Eliot turned to Nate. "This one is pretty dangerous on two different fronts. If Max is with us, at some point somebody's going to spot him."</p>
<p>"I'm not afraid," Max said, then. And Nate blinked — for an instant, just an instant, it was a different kid sitting there. Not bowed by depression and a hole in the heart, but proud and fierce, head up and eyes sparkling. He blinked and the image vanished. Not that Max had collapsed back to himself, but as though he had never changed.</p>
<p>Nate caught Sophie's eye and confirmed she had seen it too. Interesting.</p>
<p>"Well, before we figure out how to keep Max safe, let's figure out how to keep Max <em>here</em>," Nate suggested. "Your mom is out of the country for a while, right?"</p>
<p>"At least two more months," he said.</p>
<p>"Okay. And what about school?"</p>
<p>Max shrugged, folding into himself tightly.</p>
<p>All five adults knew what that meant. Knew he was bullied at least, if not abused by classmates, if not also by teachers.</p>
<p>"Just skip," Parker said after a moment. "Hardison can set up a phone so it looks like your mom is calling but it's really Sophie, and we'll tell them you're going to be out for a while. Unless you really want to go back."</p>
<p>"No." Max shook his head. "But you probably don't have to even bother. Nobody notices me."</p>
<p>Nate gestured to Hardison and Sophie to make it happen anyway — and maybe to do some digging at the same time. Even an awful school had to at least follow up when a kid was out for too long, or skipped school during the day. But he had a bad feeling this one would do neither.</p>
<p>What was it about this kid that made the world kick him so hard, anyway?</p>
<p>"We'll need to get you some things from home," Sophie said. "Clothes and such. That way you don't have to go back and forth for a while."</p>
<p>"Eliot? Up for a retrieval?" Nate asked.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I'll go with him," Eliot said.</p>
<p>Nate nodded — Eliot was the right choice not just to protect the kid, but to watch for more warning signs. Something Hardison's searches had missed. Something that was nowhere online but was clearly real enough in the world.</p>
<p>"Okay. Parker, while they're doing that, you and I are going to take a look at the schematics we got on Bakerson's condo building and make sure we didn't miss any angles. I want us to see him everywhere he goes for the next week, close enough that you can count his nose hairs."</p>
<p>"Kinda gross, but okay."</p>
<p>"Right. Well, let's get to it." Nate smiled at Max and made sure it was a real one. "I said this when we first got here, but since it's tradition and you missed it, I'll say it again. Let's go steal a drug lord."</p>
<p>"He's not really a lord," Hardison said. "He's more like a bard with all that charisma."</p>
<p>"Drug bard doesn't sound right," Parker said.</p>
<p>"What do you want? He's a bard with all that convincing and trickery. But he's also a boss. So...drug czar? Drug boss? Drug mastermind?"</p>
<p>"Let's not conflate me with him, huh?" Nate asked.</p>
<p>"Um." Everyone turned to look at Max. "Could you call him an evil wyvern? Since he's a doctor, but he's a snake oil salesman, and you called him a social butterfly, so he has wings. And snakes with wings are either monsters or gods like Quetzalcoatl of the Aztecs. But I feel like it's rude to insult a culture's religious beliefs that way, and wyvern doesn't have the same connotations, so..."</p>
<p>Max coughed and his face reddened, just realizing how much he had said — probably without meaning to speak up at all.</p>
<p>"Mom studies this stuff," he mumbled by way of an explanation.</p>
<p>And Nate knew he didn't imagine the smirks and small smiles from his team.</p>
<p>"All right. Then let's go steal an evil wyvern."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Small and Needy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry I'm late. Work has been an exhausting challenge.</p>
<p>This chapter brings back some friends from previous stories…because what we needed was more friends to complicate things.</p>
<p>This title comes to us from Sia's "Breathe."</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The kid was quiet on the drive to his house. Eliot, not the most verbose person, was content to let them sit in silence for most of the trip; it also gave him a chance to watch Max's body language out of the corner of his eye. As they breezed past the school, he watched the kid's shoulders twitch, hunching into himself a little more.</p>
<p>Eliot hoped Hardison took them <em>apart</em>.</p>
<p>"Hey."</p>
<p>He waited until Max's posture smoothed out, until the kid was not thinking about the uncaring people behind him.</p>
<p>"If there's something else wrong, you can tell us."</p>
<p>Max huffed a breath. "How can I tell you something's wrong when there's no way to explain it? Doctors have been asking me my whole life, but they don't believe me anyway."</p>
<p>"Try me."</p>
<p>Eliot caught the kid's eyes at a stoplight, watched Max weigh his options, his fists tight in his lap.</p>
<p>He waited. Max didn't disappoint.</p>
<p>"You ever...feel like you woke up wrong? Like you're put together missing something everybody else has? Or...or like you were never supposed to exist at all?"</p>
<p>Eliot opted for a nonverbal grunt, letting the kid interpret it as he would. Max seemed to take it for encouragement, because he uncurled his hands and looked at them while he continued.</p>
<p>"It's not...it's not what everybody describes when they talk about depression. Or psychosis or a dissociative thing. I've read all the stuff. I've talked to people. Nobody else looks out the window and thinks that what they see is just...wrong. And then realizes that it isn't the world that's wrong. It's me. I'm...I'm just defective."</p>
<p>"You're not defective." Eliot let some of the Hitter's growl into his voice. "You got dealt a bad hand, but that's not on you. Don't make it a failure when it isn't one."</p>
<p>"How do you know it isn't my fault?" Max asked, voice rising lightly. "How do you know I...I don't deserve this? How do you know it's not, like, karma or something?"</p>
<p>"Kid." Eliot let out a breath. "Max. Bad things happen to people who don't deserve it. Who <em>never </em>deserved it. That's just how the world is sometimes. It ain't about fair. And you can't put a happy spin on it and say it all plays out right in the end. Sometimes it just doesn't. But it's still not on you."</p>
<p>He could hear Max gulp. "Thanks."</p>
<p>More silence for a few minutes. But Eliot could feel a shift in the kid's focus, and in his trust. And the fact that it happened so quickly, after just a few minutes of listening, told Eliot exactly how much — or, rather, how little — Max had been listened to in his life. It was something he would pour into rage later; for now, he just waited.</p>
<p>"You don't have to do this, you know. You and your friends."</p>
<p>"Do what?"</p>
<p>"Keep me." The words came out with a note on the end that sounded not like an answer, but almost like a plea. Eliot pretended he hadn't heard it. "I...nobody but mom ever stays. She doesn't get me, but she stays. Everybody else...I'm not really worth their time."</p>
<p>He hauled in a deeper breath and Eliot checked the traffic quickly.</p>
<p>"You're doing important stuff, helping people," Max said, and Eliot felt sure most other kids would have tears in their eyes and hated that Max didn't. "I'm not...having me around will split your focus. You...you need to help those people."</p>
<p>"That's not what you said back at the hotel," Eliot said, spotting a break in the parked cars on the curb.</p>
<p>"The others, I think they felt bad for me. I think they would tell me it was okay and not to worry about it. And you wouldn't."</p>
<p>"Damn straight I won't." Eliot abruptly pulled over and put the car in park so he could turn fully to Max. "Now, you listen to me."</p>
<p>Max, to Eliot's surprise, didn't shrink back, though his eyes fell, waiting for the axe to land on his head.</p>
<p>"I ain't gonna lie. This job is a mess, and it's dangerous. We're all walking on the edge." He watched the kid flinch. "But we aren't bringing you in 'cause we feel sorry for you. Or 'cause we don't have any other choice."</p>
<p>Max looked up. "Then...why?"</p>
<p>Eliot let a tiny smile leak through. "'Cause we want to."</p>
<p>"Why?" Max was scared now, though he probably meant it to look like anger. "I'm useless! I'm just a big black hole of suck. I'm not worth anything!"</p>
<p>Eliot's arm lashed forward and he caught Max by the shoulder in a grip that didn't bruise, but was like iron. He tugged until the kid turned, then moved the hand to the back of his neck, drawing him closer.</p>
<p>"I'm gonna say this and you're gonna hear it. You are <em>not </em>worthless, Max. You are worth something to us. To me."</p>
<p>And finally Max's blue eyes filled with tears. "But...why?"</p>
<p>Honestly, Eliot had no words he could offer. How could he explain that he understood that pain, that he had lived loneliness and heartbreak that could kill, and that the four idiots back at the hotel were what had saved him? How could he explain that Max was trapped in a place all five of them had known, and they had saved each other, and now they wanted to save him? How could he tell the kid that they cared, even having just met him?</p>
<p>Instead, he growled, "Don't you tell anybody about this." He gave Max just enough time to nod before he pulled him against his shoulder into a hug.</p>
<p>Max made a small noise not of protest, but of grief. Or maybe relief.</p>
<p>"I ain't just gonna tell you it's gonna be okay," Eliot said softly to the head tucked against him. "I'm going to promise you that it will be. Whatever it takes, you're not alone anymore. We'll get you through this."</p>
<p>"Even if you leave?" Max's voice was small and Eliot's shirt was wet. "Hardison said you guys mostly work out of Boston."</p>
<p>"Yeah," Eliot said, knowing he was making a promise that was beyond irresponsible and not caring one bit. "And if it comes down to it, we'll take you with us. Your mom, too. But one thing at a time. First, we gotta get your stuff."</p>
<p>Max nodded and Eliot let him pull back. He averted his eyes while the kid wiped at his face.</p>
<p>Eliot waited until he had pulled back into traffic before he asked, "You okay?"</p>
<p>"Feels...like I was drowning, and I suddenly got a breath of air," Max said. "I mean, I'm never okay, but I can imagine being okay for a while?"</p>
<p>"Good enough."</p>
<p>Eliot was not surprised at the size of Max's house, but it felt wrong when he pulled up anyway. It was just an instinct, something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Like being watched, maybe, or walking into a trap. Eliot followed Max to the door, keeping on full alert. There was no way they'd been tailed, but he wouldn't let himself make a mistake now.</p>
<p>Inside, the artifacts would have made Sophie and Parker giddy. Even he was impressed at the collection apparently put together by the kid's mom. She had more than good taste — she had talent.</p>
<p>"My room's up here," Max said, leading the way up the staircase. Eliot followed, marking windows, doors, vulnerabilities, and potential weapons. His appreciation for Max's mom grew at the sheer number of spears, axes, and swords she had displayed — all in perfectly preserved fighting condition.</p>
<p>"You can grab one if you want," Max offered, noticing Eliot's interest. "Mom won't even notice."</p>
<p>Eliot smirked. He might take the kid up on that, actually.</p>
<p>Opening the door to Max's room, however, proved that it was a study in opposites. It was stark, almost barren, with the usual teenage mess, but no sign of personality. No posters, no knick-knacks, no pictures, no trophies, not even many books. Eliot blinked. If not for the piles of clothing and schoolwork on the floor, it could have been a vacant apartment. Even hotels had more art and personality than this.</p>
<p>But he decided not to say anything, instead shuffling through the mess and making piles. Schoolwork he dumped on the desk; clothes went on the bed to be sorted into clean and not-clean. Max dug around a closet for a large bag, apparently unbothered at Eliot summarily cleaning his room for him.</p>
<p>"Should I pack my school stuff?" Max asked eventually, after filling the bag with clothing that hadn't been on the floor.</p>
<p>Eliot shrugged. "If you feel like it, go for it. Hardison will fix that for you, though."</p>
<p>"Okay." He did draw one picture from a desk drawer, and Eliot leaned over to see the image of Max standing beside a blonde woman with the same blue eyes. She was smiling, and Max was clearly trying to smile as well.</p>
<p>"She looks nice," Eliot said.</p>
<p>Max nodded. "She's awesome. Not her fault she got me for a kid. At least now I'm old enough to be on my own so she can be out doing what makes her happy."</p>
<p>Eliot considered several responses to that, but they all ended up either arguing the kid's worth again or undermining the reason they were keeping him in the first place, so he just made a noncommittal noise and finished sorting the stuff from the floor.</p>
<p>"How much of this do you want?"</p>
<p>Max shrugged. "Whatever you think I'll need."</p>
<p>Eliot gauged the mess, then picked up items that were both essentially clean and apparently worn often — stuff Max might actually like enough to choose. Everything else he dumped in a laundry basket, deliberately not thinking about how unpleasant it would smell if nobody came back here to wash it for a while. Whatever, not his problem. Just getting Max out of here was his priority.</p>
<p>"Anything downstairs?"</p>
<p>"Not really."</p>
<p>"Okay then." Eliot hefted the bag to his shoulder and steered Max out of the room. The prickle on the back of his neck had not faded and he didn't like it.</p>
<p>Eliot started to wonder if the shadows that dogged Max's steps weren't only inside his head.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Branislav Kovac put his fist through the nearest wall.</p>
<p>A weight on his leg caused him to stop before he could follow up the strike with more. His blood was pounding in his ears and fire burned through his very bones. Rage was bubbling to the surface, filling his throat with bile that could only be quenched by lashing out.</p>
<p>He knew it wasn't productive, but he just couldn't help it.</p>
<p>And not only because of Locknarr.</p>
<p>"The Mighty One is <em>missing</em>!"</p>
<p>His companion growled at him and the pressure on his leg increased.</p>
<p>Bran forced himself to gulp air, knowing that if he did not calm himself, his companion would take more drastic measures. And while he was not afraid of pain, nor of being forced into submission, he simply did not have time for it right now.</p>
<p>"Even you cannot find him, can you?" he asked.</p>
<p>The great head shook back and forth, and Bran felt sure he could read regret in the deep eyes.</p>
<p>"And I cannot feel him. His pain, his fear, even his <em>presence</em>. And yet he is not dead. He <em>cannot </em>be dead."</p>
<p>The head shook again.</p>
<p>"Then he is beyond where I can sense him. And if he has gone so far, I must follow him."</p>
<p>Even as he said it, though, he understood that it was a foolish declaration. After all, his one disastrous meeting with the Mighty One had ended so poorly. Since then, the Mighty One had sometimes communicated across their bond via pinpricks of pain in Morse code. The Mighty One had forgiven him, somehow, for his mistakes. And yet he could not be trusted with the location of the Mighty One. In fact, it was clear the Mighty One would avoid him given the chance.</p>
<p>He had not seen the boy he was charged to protect for many weeks; how could he hope to find him now that he was beyond even his ability to sense?</p>
<p>And yet, Bran was his Guardian. Perhaps not the one Mighty Max had chosen, but Destiny had called him, and Bran would not deny the call. He had erred, grievously, but his duty remained. He had to find the boy, guard him against pain, stand for him in whatever battle he must be facing. Even if the Mighty One could never accept him as he had the first Guardian, Bran's need to be there to protect him remained.</p>
<p>He had not been so clear-headed before, but he had been alone before.</p>
<p>The influence of Locknarr had corrupted him, and when the Mighty One had sent him away, at first he had lost himself to a fury that would put the ancient gods to shame. Then, seeking anything — a clue, perhaps, to the Mighty One's location — he had journeyed to Toyama, the place of so much pain for the one to whom he was bound.</p>
<p>Bran had never expected to meet one of the young warriors who had helped save his Mighty One.</p>
<p>His grasp of Japanese was weak at best, and the young man's English was worse, but the few words he said had been enough.</p>
<p>"He says he's supposed to help you. His name is White Blaze."</p>
<p>And then Bran found himself face-to-face with the largest white tiger he had ever seen in his life.</p>
<p>From that day forward, the tiger had been his constant companion. Bran had learned fairly quickly that this was no ordinary tiger — in fact, he thought he might not be dissimilar from the Firebird he had encountered when first at the side of his Mighty One. White Blaze was wise, powerful, and, above all, uncannily knowing. The tiger had learned to spot the signs that Bran was falling to Locknarr's influence, and had developed methods to curb the violence in the storm of his soul.</p>
<p>Of course, sometimes that included biting, but a few punctures were well worth the clarity of his thoughts again. More often, it ended with Bran flat on the ground and the smug tiger sitting on him. White Blaze seemed to enjoy those moments more than Bran really appreciated.</p>
<p>"I know he does not want to see me. But I must do <em>something</em>."</p>
<p>White Blaze wuffled at him for a moment, then ceased leaning on Bran's leg to pace a circle in the small apartment they were sharing for the moment. Bran had spent the last weeks restlessly wandering the planet, bouncing from place to place partially to keep his thoughts from stagnating and partially in the hopes of encountering the Mighty One somewhere. Unfortunately, with White Blaze helping to counteract the influence of Locknarr, he had stopped receiving visions about where the Mighty One might be, but it was a trade worth the price.</p>
<p>Except now, when the Mighty One truly needed him.</p>
<p>"Please." He sank down onto the shaky bed. "If I cannot help him, then you must. Surely you can go to him, wherever he is, and assist him."</p>
<p>White Blaze shook his head.</p>
<p>"You cannot, or you will not go?"</p>
<p>White Blaze whipped his tail through the air. Bran was not yet fluent in reading the creature, but he assumed that meant 'neither.'</p>
<p>"Then what?"</p>
<p>White Blaze settled, sitting on his haunches and tipped a head. For a moment, Bran thought perhaps his eyes were glowing.</p>
<p>Suddenly a pain unlike anything Bran had ever known shot through his head.</p>
<p>The last thing he felt was blood dripping from his nose.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>It was the end of the school day, and Norman made his way to the office. He had some grades to hand in, but this was mainly a cover — he was more interested in finding out if Max was in trouble again for leaving school.</p>
<p>It had bothered him all day for reasons that were hard to define. Norman cared about all his students, and of course it was troubling the way Max seemed to slide through life always shadowed either by despair or the contempt of others. But Max never asked for help, and any time Norman attempted to reach him, he was rebuffed. Time and bitter experience had taught Norman that not all children could be helped, or even wanted to be, and that the best he could do was play by the rules and report trouble when he saw it.</p>
<p>But that wasn't Max's type of trouble, so his hands were rather tied.</p>
<p>At the main office, Norman dropped off his signed forms before he headed for the Assistant Principal's door. She was a reasonable person, busy, but generally kind, and she had a bit of a soft spot for the tough-luck cases. If anyone would give Max another shot, it was her. He tapped on the door-frame, seeing through the frosted glass that she was on a call.</p>
<p>She waved him in.</p>
<p>"Well, it's irregular, so I'm going to need some proof," she was saying. "You really ought to have come here to sign him out."</p>
<p>Norman noticed that Max's file was open on the desk before her.</p>
<p>"Yes, of course, I understand, and I'm sorry to hear about your loss. But still, we can't have students just walking out without knowing that they are safe."</p>
<p>Norman blinked.</p>
<p>"You said you emailed it? Ah, it's just come through. One moment." She put the phone on hold and turned her screen so she and Norman could both see it.</p>
<p>"Something wrong?" Norman asked.</p>
<p>"He cut your class today, didn't he?" she asked without preamble.</p>
<p>"He did. Is something wrong?"</p>
<p>"That's his mother on the phone. She says there's been a death in the family and she asked to take him out of school for a while. Apparently her father died abroad and they need to go deal with his affairs. And she doesn't want to leave Max on his own."</p>
<p>Norman frowned. He knew for a fact that his mother left him alone all the time. Everyone knew it.</p>
<p>The Assistant Principal nodded. "It doesn't quite add up, but the death certificate looks genuine to me, and she's calling from the number we have on file. And if his grandfather was ill, perhaps that explains why his behavior has gotten so much worse lately."</p>
<p>"Maybe," was all Norman would say.</p>
<p>"Anyway, it sounds like they're flying out right away, and she doesn't know when he'll be back. Most of his teachers will want to fail him for the year if he doesn't make up the work. He's already barely skating along, and he's missed so many days." She sighed. "What do you think?"</p>
<p>Norman considered for a moment. He didn't have the same kind of experience as other teachers, but he had experience that mattered, and one of the reasons he liked the Assistant Principal so much was that she respected that about him. He didn't have a fancy doctorate, but she weighed his words fairly anyway.</p>
<p>"The kid needs help," Norman said finally. "I don't know why he is the way he is, but he's not okay. Maybe spending some time with his mom will help. Being alone like that can't be helping whatever's wrong with him. He doesn't have a dad, right?"</p>
<p>"None listed, anyway."</p>
<p>"I mean, I'm not going to flunk him unless you don't give me any choice. And I think maybe punishing him isn't the right way to go, but I guess it's not up to me what his other teachers do. Some of them have it out for him, though."</p>
<p>"I know."</p>
<p>"Maybe he just shouldn't come back." Norman didn't say it lightly. "Maybe he needs a special school, or full time care or something. We can't take time and resources away from his classmates just because he's not okay." He hated saying it, but it was true. Even he couldn't save everybody.</p>
<p>"I don't want him falling through the cracks," she said, pursing her lips. "If he isn't in school here, how do we know he's in school anywhere, getting any kind of help?"</p>
<p>"He's not getting help here," Norman said. "I'm not saying dropping out of school is a good thing, but maybe that's the only real option for him right now."</p>
<p>She sighed again. "Stay here a minute, please."</p>
<p>Then she unmuted the phone and put it on speaker so Norman could listen as well.</p>
<p>"Thank you for waiting. It appears that everything is in order. Now, assuming Max is coming back, we need to make arrangements for him to handle his missed work."</p>
<p>"Of course," Max's mom replied. Norman had met her once or twice — she was a nice enough person, if a little absent and distracted. "But there's no telling how long we'll be gone." There was a hiccup in her tone and Norman felt bad suddenly for pressing the woman when she had just lost her father.</p>
<p>"You know that we've had some concerns about him. If he misses more than a week or so, there's a very real possibility he won't be able to keep up with the rest of his grade. He's been close to repeating a year before. We might not be able to prevent it this time."</p>
<p>"I understand. Of course you have to do what you think is best for him. But I think I'd like to spend some time with him myself and just see how this goes."</p>
<p>The Assistant Principal glanced at Norman, then said, "Have you considered homeschooling him? He might need a more...hands-on approach to learning. More personalized attention than we can give him here."</p>
<p>"Oh. I guess I hadn't thought of that. But I could look into it."</p>
<p>"Please do. I never want us to give up on anybody, but it won't surprise you to know that Max isn't exactly easy to have in class. His teachers consistently find him to be disruptive, disobedient, and unengaged."</p>
<p>Norman didn't snort, but it was a near miss. Some of Max's teachers were idiots. On the other hand, they, too, had dozens of kids to worry about, and Max's attitude was a constant problem. It would be easier if he was one of those teenagers who was sassy and troublesome and loud — no one really knew what to do with a kid who acted half-dead all the time. Norman was as fond of the kid as anyone, and even he didn't really know how to handle him.</p>
<p>"Well, thank you for telling me," Max's mom said after a moment. "I guess...I'll see where this takes us, then. Would you mind sending over anything from his current classes I might need if I wanted to try a little homeschooling on the side? Coursework or whatever it is?"</p>
<p>"Certainly. I'll send it by the end of the week. And, again, we're all very sorry for your loss. Please tell Max he'll be missed."</p>
<p>Norman could tell it was a lie, and he didn't doubt Max's mom could tell it was, too. Honestly, even though he worried about the kid, not having to deal with him on top of everything else was a selfish relief. And he was being generous about it — some of the other teachers would openly celebrate Max's absence.</p>
<p>"I will. Have a good day now. Thanks again." And Max's mom hung up.</p>
<p>"Well." The Assistant Principal leaned back in her chair. "I guess we won't need to discipline him for cutting school again, anyway. Even having him in detention all the time was getting to be too much."</p>
<p>Norman shrugged. "It's not like we were getting through to him. I don't like it, and I think there's more going on than anybody ever told us, but what can you do? The kid needs help from somebody. Maybe his mom can get it for him."</p>
<p>"I hope so." She managed a tired smile at him. "Thanks for your insight. It's nice to talk about the kid without anybody raving at me for once."</p>
<p>Norman rose to go, already dismissing the enigma that was Max from his mind and thinking instead about tomorrow's exercises. "Well, I've seen worse. Have a good night."</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max blinked at Sophie.</p>
<p>"Wow. You're really scary. You know that? You've never even <em>met</em> my mom and you sounded just like her!"</p>
<p>"Well, thank you." She preened under his praise while Hardison snickered. "I do try to put on my best performances when it matters."</p>
<p>Max turned to Hardison. "And you made up that fake death certificate so fast. I mean, I don't even really <em>have</em> any grandparents, and that still worked."</p>
<p>"That's what we do, baby," Hardison said.</p>
<p>"I'm starting to understand how you can take apart the bad guys now," Max said.</p>
<p>"Oh, darling." And Sophie's grin went knowing and smug. "You have <em>no idea.</em>"</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>"What's wrong?"</p>
<p>Virgil looked up, surprised. "Nothing."</p>
<p>The Mighty One shook his head. "You're frowning. You only frown when things are wrong, or when your food is overcooked."</p>
<p>Virgil sniffed in mock insult. "I am <em>not</em> that picky about your cooking, Mighty One."</p>
<p>"Maximus," he reminded him.</p>
<p>Virgil sighed. "Yes, of course."</p>
<p>"So...what's wrong?"</p>
<p>Virgil was not surprised that Maximus was being so dogged about this — it was one of his better traits. He had spent thousands of years with the man, saving the world time and again, and constancy was something he deeply appreciated in a companion. Also, Maximus managed not to be too obtrusive, generally quiet, and had a healthy respect for Virgil's privacy. Virgil perhaps would not describe him as a 'friend' as they had a cordial relationship rather than an emotional one, but that was also to the good given their occupation. Saving the world took courage, dedication, and strength. It would be far more complicated if <em>feelings </em>had any say.</p>
<p>Still, while the stubborn ability to face a problem until its end was a virtue in the Mighty One, it could be keenly annoying at other times.</p>
<p>"A few of my calculations appear to be...skewed," Virgil said. It vexed him to admit as much — he hated being wrong.</p>
<p>"What does 'skewed' mean, though?" Maximus asked. "Just a little off, or like that one time in Rangoon?"</p>
<p>Now Virgil scowled. "I thought we agreed not to bring that up again."</p>
<p>Maximus made a small smile. "Just looking for appropriate scale."</p>
<p>"Well, nothing as severe as that, thankfully. I've noticed over the last few years that my calculations have been increasingly off. At first only by a negligible amount, but it seems to grow each day. Now I am finding that I must make adjustments to offset whatever is causing the error."</p>
<p>"Should that be happening?" Maximus asked. "I thought all your calculations were always perfect."</p>
<p>"They <em>are.</em> But it appears that something is acting against us that I cannot identify, and its influence appears to be growing."</p>
<p>"Do we need to be worried?"</p>
<p>"A month ago, I would have said no," Virgil admitted. "Now, however, I am becoming concerned. If we continue as we are without locating the source of this uncertainty, the time will come that we may make a critical error."</p>
<p>Maximus crossed his arms, scowling. "How critical do you mean?"</p>
<p>Virgil shut his eyes. "It is possible...if this is not abated, that the presence of the paranormal may be revealed to the world once more."</p>
<p>Maximus's eyes went wide. "I thought we put a stop to that centuries ago."</p>
<p>"As did I." Virgil turned back to the notebook in which he had been tracking the phenomenon. "Whatever is at the root of this...entropy, perhaps, is accelerating. I suspect it will begin growing exponentially from this time forward."</p>
<p>"Sounds like mutants in Siberia have to wait," Maximus said. "We need to figure this out first. The last thing anybody wants is for the world to realize that magic was real."</p>
<p>"Yes." Virgil nodded, feeling suddenly decisive. "I will cancel our plans at once. It may take me a few days, but I believe with your help we can pin down this anomaly. We must identify its cause and eliminate it quickly. We cannot allow anything to disrupt what we have spent so long putting into place. For the sake of the very world."</p>
<p>"Just point me at it," Maximus said. "I know you'll figure it out, and when you do, I'll take care of it. We haven't let the world down yet, and I don't plan to start now. No matter what."</p>
<p>Virgil smiled at such words and felt relieved. Of course, with the Mighty One at his side, they could not fail.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Push the Darkness Back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here you go – not much more to say today. (Having a pain flare up.) The song for this chapter is "The Mountain" by Three Days Grace.</p>
<p>The fanart in this chapter has been contributed by my dear and always amazing friend, thepreciousthing. THANK YOU!</p>
<p>(I know I haven't replied to comments in an age and a half. I promise to get to it when work isn't eating my brain whole and I can use all my joints at the same time...)</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So, run this by me again. Sophie and you are going in there to make a deal with your evil wyvern guy, which helps how, exactly?"</p>
<p>"We need to bring him down," Nate said, pleased at Max's interest. "Eventually, that will mean help from the authorities. Well, the ones that aren't in his pocket. But we need to make sure we have the evidence that will put him away for life when we call them in. And sometimes, that means helping him commit a few more crimes first."</p>
<p>"Hmm." Max wrinkled his nose. "Basically, you're digging him a hole and then you're going to throw him in it."</p>
<p>"Something like that."</p>
<p>"But what if Sophie and Eliot run into trouble?" Max asked. "What if they need help, or they need Hardison to do something on the computer?"</p>
<p>"Oh, right." Nate dug in a pocket, producing an earbud with some flair. "Put this in. You'll be able to hear every word on comms."</p>
<p>Max blinked at him, finally accepting the tiny thing and sticking it in his ear. He frowned. "I don't hear anything."</p>
<p>"Hey."</p>
<p>"Oh! Hi Eliot!" Max's face brightened immediately.</p>
<p>"Nate, you gave Max a comm? It's about time!" Parker wasn't quite whining, but it was close. "Does that mean he's part of the con now?"</p>
<p>"Absolutely not," Hardison said, and Nate could have identified his scowl even with the Thief and Hacker halfway across town. "This is not a job for a kid. It's barely a job for us. But, anyway, nice to have you on, Max."</p>
<p>"Thanks." He swallowed, then said, "But if there's something I can do to help, I'm not afraid to try."</p>
<p>Max met Nate's eyes and held them.</p>
<p>Nate didn't let the sigh escape him. Of course the kid who was abandoned by the world at large would jump in to assist in something with the first people to unconditionally accept him, regardless of the danger. Eliot had said something after getting back with him about the kid needing a permanent solution that they couldn't leave up to his mom or the other adults in his life, and the more Nate watched, the more he was forced to agree.</p>
<p>But that was a problem for another day.</p>
<p>"The most you're going to do is keep me company and, if the coast is clear, deliver some food to Parker and Hardison in the van. <em>Maybe </em>some backup lookout. Nothing more."</p>
<p>"Hey, man, somebody to bring food so I don't have to leave my computers with Parker would be good enough for me. Last time, I still do not know how, but somehow all my keyboards got stuck on Cyrillic for, like, an hour."</p>
<p>"I could always go," Parker offered.</p>
<p>"Yeah, and then we'll live off nothing but marshmallow cereal."</p>
<p>"What's wrong with that?"</p>
<p>Max snorted, and Nate smiled.</p>
<p>"Okay, everybody shut up." That was Eliot, gruff and low as always.</p>
<p>"We're going in."</p>
<p>Max flinched for a moment at the harsh tones of Annie Croy's voice. He looked up at Nate and mouthed, 'she's scary like that.'</p>
<p>Nate could only nod in agreement.</p>
<p>He reached across the table to pull up the monitors on the big screen so he could tap into Hardison's security feed of the clinic. Of course, Bakerson himself had a few cameras around to protect himself and his product, but there were several more available after the team's efforts in the last few days.</p>
<p>Max scooted to sit beside him for a better view as they watched Sophie and Eliot enter. Sophie walked loosely, sauntering with confidence and mockery in her body. Eliot, body tight and tense, prowled in her wake like a panther. Because Nate was used to watching for it, he could see Eliot read the situation, identifying threats, escape routes, weapons, liabilities, weaknesses. He did it without moving his eyes or shifting his gaze, and yet nothing would be missed.</p>
<p>Nate always worried when he sent Sophie in to grift a dangerous mark, but really, there was no safer place on the planet than at Eliot's side.</p>
<p>At the front desk, a receptionist with sharp eyes looked up. "Can I help you?"</p>
<p>"You bet you can," Annie said with a lizard's smile. "Got me an appointment with Doc Bakerson. You tell him Annie Croy's come for a...consultation."</p>
<p>The man working for Bakerson considered Annie before picking up the phone. Nate watched him dial not the extension for Bakerson's office, but his cell phone. "Your consult is here." A pause. "Sure."</p>
<p>At the desk, Annie was still in motion, her shoulders swaying ever so slightly. It wasn't restlessness — it telegraphed like dangerous certainty.</p>
<p>"He's just coming in from a shift at the hospital," the receptionist said. "If you wouldn't mind waiting in his office, he'll be right there. I'll show you in."</p>
<p>"About time," Annie said.</p>
<p>The receptionist looked like he was going to ask Eliot to stay in the waiting room, but Eliot took a quick step closer to Annie and made a low growl while doing one of those things with his eyes that tended to make people rethink their priorities. That was enough to earn him a wary stare and passage along with Annie to the ratty office a few doors down.</p>
<p>Nate glanced at Max to see how he was taking the pair of them in character; maybe he shouldn't have been surprised that the kid's eyes were wide with something approaching admiration.</p>
<p>Even when the door shut, Annie and Eliot remained in character. They were fairly certain there were no bugs or cameras in the office other than those Hardison controlled, but this was not the time to be careless. Eliot placed himself beside the door, leaving Annie to settle herself behind the doctor's own desk, rifling through his papers in a casual way. There was nothing they needed or expected to find here, of course; this was all for show.</p>
<p>On the cameras, Nate watched the doctor pull up to his parking spot behind the clinic. Another pair of men, big, with bulging weapons, stepped out of the car as well.</p>
<p>"He's here and he brought friends," he warned. Neither Annie nor Eliot made any move that they had heard him, which was a move in itself.</p>
<p>Max nudged Nate, gesturing at the screen. Nate gave him a thumbs-up to reassure him.</p>
<p>The next few seconds passed very quickly. The two armed thugs pushed into Bakerson's office, aiming to do something violent, but they were beset and bested by Eliot in a blur of efficient motion. By the time Bakerson walked into the chaos behind them, both thugs were on the floor, moaning but conscious, with their guns unloaded and tossed to the far side of the room.</p>
<p>"Wow," Max breathed.</p>
<p>For just a half-second, Eliot fixed his eyes on the hidden camera and had the audacity to wink. Then he was all business again.</p>
<p>"Quite a welcome," Annie said, mild and unbothered. "Rather rude, if you ask me. After all, I was invited. And what's that medical thing you all swear? Do no harm?" Her gaze went dark and lethal. "That looked harmful to me."</p>
<p>Bakerson was visibly surprised, but quickly regained his composure. "You will have to forgive my guards. They are very protective of me and my medicines. Such compounds are meant to heal, but there are those who think they can steal from me."</p>
<p>"It's a right shame when an honest doctor can't even operate securely, isn't it?" Annie replied, her eyes softening and her mouth turning up in a smile at the pun.</p>
<p>"Indeed. Now, I'll ask my men to leave and I'd like you to do the courtesy of the same," and he tipped his head towards Eliot.</p>
<p>"No, I don't think so. I'm in a strange country here, and it ain't proper to leave a lady behind closed doors with a strange man." Annie's smile widened. "But I promise you he won't move without my say so."</p>
<p>Bakerson let out a breath and acquiesced. He also settled in one of his chairs with a minimum of displeasure at being on the wrong side of his own desk. Annie waited until the pair of goons were out the door and Eliot was standing with his back leaning against it.</p>
<p>"So, Miss Croy, was it? I understand you have a business proposition for me."</p>
<p>"We're always on the lookout for good investment partners," she said. "London's a little hot for us right now, and we're looking for a new bank where we can make deposits more freely. Investing in a...charming little clinic like this would open up some new avenues for us."</p>
<p>"And I'm sure I could do a lot of good with your money," Bakerson said. "I have so many needy patients."</p>
<p>"Of course, this isn't a donation," Annie said. "It's an exchange."</p>
<p>"Oh, of course." Bakerson was nodding. "Now, would you be needing just some funds, or are you looking for a cut of raw product as well?"</p>
<p>"A bit of both, to be honest. We have a good supply chain back home, but precious little here in the States. And the quality is...inferior."</p>
<p>Bakerson smiled. "Then I believe we can come to an agreement. But before we do any business together, I have two stipulations."</p>
<p>"Oh?"</p>
<p>"First, I want a...good faith investment. Fifty thousand, up front, to prove you're worth dealing with."</p>
<p>Annie shrugged. "Fair enough. We'll want a sample of the product in return."</p>
<p>"Of course. And second, I could use a little help with an interested party."</p>
<p>Annie leaned forward. "What kind of party? The reason we chose you was your ability to work without undue attention. If the law is getting involved, we might not be, you know."</p>
<p>"It's not a problem. Just one stubborn DHS agent sniffing around. My boys on the local PD are keeping him away from the action, but it would help if he was called away. Maybe an emergency in his personal life that proves too distracting for him to fuss with a case so far out of his jurisdiction?"</p>
<p>Nate spoke up. "Take it. We can work with this."</p>
<p>Annie's face morphed into a cruel smile. "Anything to help out a business partner." She extended a hand and Bakerson accepted it, shaking with a smile of his own.</p>
<p>Annie rose. "I'll need a few days to get the payment together — both payments. I'll be in touch."</p>
<p>"I'll be waiting on your call." Bakerson stood to show her to the door, remaining a little distant from Eliot — as if that would really help.</p>
<p>Annie swept from the room, Eliot on her heels. The comms remained silent until the pair were in the car and driving away.</p>
<p>"Nate, how is it a good thing if they're gunning for you?" Hardison finally broke the quiet.</p>
<p>"Well, it proves that Bakerson has somebody in the local police informing on me, so now we just have to figure out who it is. And if Annie Croy needs to make me disappear to solidify Bakerson's trust, it's not like he asked her to drop me in the river while he watched me sink. We can handle this."</p>
<p>"I really don't enjoy plans that involve threats on your life, Nate," Sophie said, Sophie once more.</p>
<p>"I kinda do," Parker said.</p>
<p>Max giggled.</p>
<p>Nate pointed a pen at him. "No. You are not allowed to side with Parker on this. Stop immediately."</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Nate." Eliot admirably ignored Max and Parker both laughing in his ear. "We got the time we needed, and the deal's in motion. What's next?"</p>
<p>"Well." Nate leaned back in his chair, feeling the shifting cogs of his plan slide into place in his head. "I think it's time for my DHS agent to get himself in a little trouble. After all, we want to give Annie a good target when she takes me out."</p>
<p>"Yeah, and then what?" Hardison wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Then we set Bakerson up in time to be taken down by our favorite FBI duo."</p>
<p>"Yeah, baby!" Hardison cheered. "Pretending to be good guys so we can be bad guys taking down other bad guys is the best!"</p>
<p>Max laughed again. "This is nuts. You're all crazy."</p>
<p>Nate waited, seeing a dim light sputter to life in the kid's eyes.</p>
<p>"Yeah, and?" Eliot asked over the comms.</p>
<p>"And," Max turned to Nate and, for the first time, he looked like a living kid, "this might be the best thing I've ever done."</p>
<p>Yes, Nate was sure. They were keeping this kid one way or another. Nothing else seemed to give him life — therefore, this was where he belonged. Obviously.</p>
<p>"Dibs!" Parker shouted over comms.</p>
<p>And apparently his team felt the same way.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Bran felt sure his brain was being split in two. It felt, more than anything else, like the moment when he had forged the blasted contract with Locknarr — except that was a sharp pain and this felt more like sawing a melon apart.</p>
<p>If that melon was his head.</p>
<p>He had just a moment of awareness of White Blaze leaning against him, and then all physical sensation winked out.</p>
<p>Followed by what felt like a firm prod to his sternum.</p>
<p>"Waesucks."</p>
<p>"Who's there?" Bran demanded. "That's not a word I know, so it didn't come from me. Who are you?"</p>
<p>"You are <em>not </em>the Chosen One," answered the voice.</p>
<p>"Obviously." Then, "Wait, what do you want with the Mighty One?"</p>
<p>"You are Branislav Kovac. Well, you are better than nothing."</p>
<p>Bran could only make out a vague form in the nothingness that surrounded him.</p>
<p>"You know my name. Tell me yours."</p>
<p>"I am a friend of the Chosen One. He has been cut off from me, so I have been seeking him. Somehow, it appears I followed a path from his mind to yours. Not my intention, but perhaps there is value in it."</p>
<p>"I didn't hear a name in there."</p>
<p>"Oh, you are surly as well as troublesome. Very well. I am Morgan."</p>
<p>Bran felt certain that should mean something to him, but he chose not to focus on it. "How is it possible that you are doing this?"</p>
<p>"My ties to the Chosen One are strong, rooted in his very power. So are yours, though yours are polluted and impure."</p>
<p>"Thanks for that."</p>
<p>"His mind is beyond what I can reach, but our connection has been forged in enough strength that I appear to have surpassed his body and bridged my way to yours. Now, no more questions — it takes more energy than you can imagine to maintain this much. Though I seem to have help from your side."</p>
<p>"I have an ally. He's a magic tiger."</p>
<p>"Ah, the ancient spirit White Blaze. The Chosen One knows him."</p>
<p>Bran had figured as much given that White Blaze was with the young man who had also known him from their time in Toyama. He had since realized that White Blaze was a spirit — and if he weren't desperate for information about the Mighty One, he would press her for more details about his voiceless companion.</p>
<p>"I think he's lending you energy. He does it to me all the time."</p>
<p>"Then perhaps we can do something about this." Morgan's voice wavered, then strengthened. "I believe I have found a trace of the Chosen One. But knowing is not enough for I cannot follow him myself. I am trapped beyond dimensions. I cannot traverse them from here."</p>
<p>Bran gulped. "But I can?"</p>
<p>"I doubt it. But perhaps you and White Blaze together, with the thread of connection we share. However, it will be dangerous. If we fail, if our aim is less than perfect, you could be as trapped in the abyss as I am."</p>
<p>"I'll do it." Bran let out a breath. "I am his Guardian. And...I have failed him at every turn. I must be willing to risk anything for him now."</p>
<p>"You are a fool, but I can understand why the Chosen One is reluctantly fond of you. When you are not raving under the control of evil, you have an <em>adorable </em>tenacity."</p>
<p>Bran knew he was being teased and he did not appreciate it. But he managed to put it aside.</p>
<p>"So, what happens now?"</p>
<p>"I must give you what I can, and hope that White Blaze can accomplish the rest on his own. My energy is flagging and I am nearly spent."</p>
<p>"What should I tell him?"</p>
<p>"Tell him? Oh, stupid warrior. What I must communicate is not in words. Now, brace yourself, Branislav, for this is going to hurt."</p>
<p>And it did.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max decided that being in the van Hardison called Lucille Three was not his favorite place, in spite of the company. It smelled like old socks, spilled pop, and stale chips, and with two people in there already besides all the equipment, it was a tight fit. However, Nate was hanging out at the police station stirring up trouble, and Sophie and Eliot were making sure to put in an appearance at their fake base, and Hardison and Parker needed to be in the area in case Nate required backup. And it went without saying that nobody wanted Max anywhere near Annie Croy's hotel, so it was either this or wait for them all on his own.</p>
<p>When this was the choice, he didn't really argue that much. Of course, that was before the smell.</p>
<p>Max spent about an hour watching Hardison continually hack systems and gain access to camera feeds, sometimes sending Parker to plug into one or another security system directly, before he decided he needed to stretch his legs. It wasn't that he didn't find it interesting, but he just couldn't hold onto it — he never really held onto anything. And without being able to actually read the code Hardison put together, it was just a lot of watching somebody else type.</p>
<p>"So, you said I could do a snacks run or something, right?" he spoke up.</p>
<p>"Oh, yeah! Snacks are good!" Parker dug through the pile of food — a literal pile — and came up with an empty bag of popcorn. "Can you get more of this? And cereal? And string cheese?"</p>
<p>"Seriously?" Hardison looked over at her. "Your diet is worse than mine and I eat like I am, a geek at a keyboard."</p>
<p>"What's your point?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," Max said, realizing he was about to get pulled into another circular discussion. "I can do that. I've got some cash, I think."</p>
<p>"Aw, no, that ain't a thing. Hang on." Hardison reached into his pocket and withdrew a wallet. He handed over a slim credit card. "Use this."</p>
<p>Max read the name on the front. "Fred Baggins? You're kidding, right?"</p>
<p>"Nah." Hardison smiled. "Here's a student ID to go with it. I'll make you a couple more later, but this should be enough for the gas station."</p>
<p>"Am I supposed to come back with a magic ring, then?"</p>
<p>"Yes!" Parker's eyes were more than a little unsettling. "We accept all forms of gold and jewelry. And cash. Cash is best."</p>
<p>Max shook his head and tucked the cards into a pocket. "I don't think I've graduated to larceny yet, but good to know. Hardison, anything you want me to bring you?"</p>
<p>"More soda, and something in the pizza family. Not too picky, though."</p>
<p>Over the comms, Eliot spoke. "Don't spoil your dinner, Hardison. I'm cooking tonight."</p>
<p>Hardison threw his arms into the air in triumph. "Forget the pizza, Max! And save room. An Eliot feast is <em>not</em> to be missed!"</p>
<p>Parker glared at him. "But I still want my snacks!"</p>
<p>"I'm on it. Don't worry. Back in a few."</p>
<p>Max slipped out of the van and followed the path Nate had shown him to avoid being seen until he could emerge onto the sidewalk a few blocks down. It was the early part of the evening, so he didn't have to worry about sticking out as a kid skipping school. Max hunched his shoulders and dropped his head, hoping to pass invisibly. As usual, it worked — nobody ever really seemed to notice him, or care if they did.</p>
<p>Hardison directed him to the gas station via the comms, and this led Max to having to put up with squabbling in his ears about how much cereal to buy, and how much would fit in the van, and how much would be awkward to carry, and a similar series of 'debates.' And yet, Max found himself edging close to a smile again and again as they did.</p>
<p>He wondered, briefly, if they were doing it to keep him company when he was alone; he dismissed the idea just because that seemed like too much to hope for.</p>
<p>By the time he left the gas station, he had bought enough snacks and junk food ("Cereal isn't junk food!" "Yes it is so!" "Shut up, both of you, or you're eating your own garbage tonight!") to feed a family for a week. But it was fairly light stuff, so the bulky bags didn't weigh him down too much as he began the return trip to the van — using a different route, just in case.</p>
<p>He was just rounding a corner when he heard Parker in his comms.</p>
<p>"Max, look out!"</p>
<p>Instinct kicked in, and Max dodged sideways before he even knew why, plastic bags rattling as he moved.</p>
<p>"What's going on?"</p>
<p>"Damnit! Parker, go!"</p>
<p>"Hardison, report! What's happening?"</p>
<p>But Max couldn't listen to the comms right now. There were three people ranged in front of him. All of them seemed older than him, but not above their mid-twenties. All of them looked rough and aggressive. And all of them were holding switchknives.</p>
<p>"Wrong street, kid," one of them said, smiling lazily. "You gotta pay if you're gonna walk on our turf."</p>
<p>Max's heart hammered in his chest, but his voice, when it came out, was steady and even. "I'll just leave. Sorry."</p>
<p>"Oh, no." One of them edged around and got behind him, blocking him from returning to the street. "You came, you saw, you pay. That's the deal."</p>
<p>"Give them your credit card, Max," Nate said in his ear, calm and collected. "Don't even hesitate."</p>
<p>Max let out a breath and swallowed. "Okay. I don't have any cash on me, but you can have my credit card. Okay?"</p>
<p>The third of the three shook his head. "We don't take plastic, bro. You gotta do better than that."</p>
<p>Without urging, Max held out the plastic bags. "Here. You can have this stuff."</p>
<p>"Not good enough."</p>
<p>All of a sudden, Max realized that they were dead set on hurting him. If he'd had cash, they probably would have done it anyway. Now, they had nothing better to do than to enjoy themselves by beating him up. And there was nothing he could do to prevent it.</p>
<p>He was fairly sure the others realized it, too, because there was silence over the comms for a beat.</p>
<p>"Hang on, Max. I'm coming," Parker said.</p>
<p>But he knew, as fast as she was, she was blocks away.</p>
<p>Max tried to swallow again, but his tongue was dry.</p>
<p>He was still holding the bags out, so he eased them to the ground. "Look, I don't...there's nothing I can do here. Just let me go."</p>
<p>"Not happening," came the voice from behind him.</p>
<p>And the clouds lifted out of Max's mind. He felt perfect clarity wash through him.</p>
<p>The strike aimed for his head from behind he caught in a block, twisting the grip hard and causing the guy to stumble forward. Max pulled on the wrist he held, rotating his weight and throwing the guy into one of the others. They fell back against the wall together.</p>
<p>The third guy charged, and Max finished his turn and came up in a ready stance.</p>
<p>The knife flashed, and Max shifted sideways, missing a cut by only a few inches. But it was enough to bring him up inside the guy's space. He slammed a foot down onto the guy's instep, putting all his weight into the blow. While the guy swore with pain, Max jammed the heel of his hand into the guy's nose hard enough to break it and cause blood to flow.</p>
<p>The guy stumbled back, leaving room for his two buddies to crowd Max again.</p>
<p>Max went low this time, kicking a leg out as he slid on the rough concrete like sliding into home in baseball. He felt his jeans rip, and he was sure to add new bruising and cuts to his body, but he was on the other side of the attacks now.</p>
<p>On the other hand, his shoulder wound was making itself felt once more. He'd been hit with a board only a matter of hours ago, and Eliot's stitches were pulling in a way that stung.</p>
<p>Max put his back to a wall and brought his hands up once more. He knew he needed to get in at least one more good round of hits in order to slow them down enough that he could run for it — if he ran now, he'd just get a knife in his back.</p>
<p>"Seriously, guys, you should have just taken the snacks. Do you have any idea how many kinds of chips there are in those bags?" he found himself saying. "They taste better without blood."</p>
<p>The leader of the three guys, face still streaming blood, snarled. "You're gonna pay for that!"</p>
<p>Max braced himself against the wall, waiting for the charge. As expected, the guy rushed him like a bull. At the very last moment, Max sprung upward.</p>
<p>His hands wrapped around one of the bars that made up the floor of a firescape above. Max curled tight and swung like a wrecking ball, his feet hitting the guy right in the face hard enough to send him across the alleyway into the opposite wall. When he went down, he didn't get up.</p>
<p>Max grit his teeth — his arm <em>hurt</em>. But there were two left, and he was running out of ideas.</p>
<p>"Pardon me."</p>
<p>Max looked up just as Parker stepped into the alleyway from behind the last two guys. She dug a taser into a thick neck and brought the guy down hard, leaving just one.</p>
<p>Max found himself grinning. "About time!"</p>
<p>He let himself swing for a moment, then released, feet aimed unerringly for the chest of the last guy. It wasn't the prettiest landing, but Max emerged unscathed. The other guy went down like a sack of potatoes, softening his fall and getting the wind knocked out of him at the same time.</p>
<p>"You okay?" Parker asked as she surveyed his handywork.</p>
<p>"Mostly?" Max said, rotating his shoulders and feeling a deep pain where he was sure he'd torn Eliot's stitches completely. "Better than them, anyway."</p>
<p>Parker nodded, examining him. Then she poked him right in the shoulder.</p>
<p>"Ow!"</p>
<p>"You're bleeding again," she told him.</p>
<p>"Thanks for helping it along," he said, resigned that he had yet another shirt covered with blood. Two in one day seemed excessive.</p>
<p>"Come on." Parker went back to retrieve the bags he had dropped. "Let's go over the roofs to get back to the van. Probably fewer jerks up there, and if there are, we'll just kick them over the edge."</p>
<p>"There's something wrong with you," Max said.</p>
<p>"That's what I keep saying," Eliot said over comms. "Also, Hardison, I don't care what Nate says — you get Max back here right now. I need to take a look at how bad he messed up his shoulder. Any other injuries?"</p>
<p>"He's fine," Parker said.</p>
<p>"Not helpful. Max, I want a real answer."</p>
<p>Max sighed, following Parker to a ladder and climbing — she had all the bags and she was <em>still</em> faster than him going up. "Shoulder, yeah, and some road rash. That's the worst of it."</p>
<p>Eliot went quiet, and Max could feel it was not an idle quiet.</p>
<p>"That could have been a lot worse," Nate said finally. "Do as Eliot says, Hardison. You all get back to base and make sure he's okay."</p>
<p>"You still need backup, Nate," Sophie said.</p>
<p>"I'll be right behind you."</p>
<p>"You don't have to put the job on hold just for me," Max tried to protest. "I can even take the bus or something. Really, it's not a big deal."</p>
<p>"Oh, Max," Sophie said. "I hate to break it to you, but you are a big deal to us. And you deserve to have your injuries cared for. So quit fussing."</p>
<p>"Besides," Hardison said, "this means we get dinner sooner. I'm starving."</p>
<p>"We have snacks now though," Parker offered, leading Max to a ladder that led down off the roof to the next alleyway over — Max could see that Lucille Three was already parked on the street just around the corner.</p>
<p>"Eliot's food is better and you know it. But at least we don't need to make a run tomorrow for our next thrilling day in the van."</p>
<p>"You like being in the van, Hardison," Sophie reminded him.</p>
<p>Max tuned out the good-natured bickering again, focusing on not letting his sore shoulder drop him to the street too soon. But when Parker opened the van door and hustled him in, sitting him on the most comfortable seat in the back and looking like she wanted to hover without knowing how, he felt something odd unfurl in his chest.</p>
<p>Warmth.</p>
<p>For the first time he could remember, Max felt welcomed and wanted.</p>
<p>"Sure you're okay?" Parker whispered.</p>
<p>Max nodded. "Actually, yeah, right now I kind of am. Is that weird?"</p>
<p>"I dunno. I always feel better after I tase somebody," she said.</p>
<p>And Max found himself laughing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"Waesucks" is as close as I could get to period-accurate swearing for Morgan after a not-insignificant amount of research. Language is weird, y'all.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Spiral Into the Unknown</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The song for this week's chapter is "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Stirling.</p>
<p>Thanks all for sticking with me. It's been a tough handful of weeks lately, and sharing this story definitely cheers me up when I have the time/brainpower to post the updates!</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Morgan curled into herself, burying her head in her arms.</p>
<p>She <em>wasn't</em> crying. That's not why her face was wet.</p>
<p>The void had taken everything from her — her sanity, her life, her time in the world. It had removed everything real, from sunlight and wind to food and sleep, leaving her only nothingness and silence. Long ago, Morgan had accepted that sometimes her body responded to nothingness, or to the everything that built up within her because of it, as a child might. So she wept not out of sorrow, but out of sheer frustration and exhaustion.</p>
<p>It was the only recourse left to her worn out body pushed beyond its limits.</p>
<p>After an endless time of feeling wrung out and torn apart, the tears slowed and she could think about anything again. She gathered the scraps of her mind from their raw weakness and forced them back into order.</p>
<p>Perhaps it should not have been a surprise that the opening she found went not to the Chosen One, but to one bound to him by the same powers that bound her to him. Still, Branislav was not what she had expected from his image in the Chosen One's memory. Morgan attributed his tolerability to the presence of the tiger spirit who kept the darker evils at bay.</p>
<p>Still, he had hurt the Chosen One grievously, so she did not feel any guilt at all for what she had done to him, even knowing that there was no telling the effect her powers had upon him. After all, she had used magic through such connections before, but that was with the Chosen One's mind as a willing conduit, and the Chosen One's powers were vast, even if they mostly lay dormant. Branislav had no such innate power, nor any such innate bond to her.</p>
<p>And yet she had nearly torn herself apart to shove power at him, hoping it would latch onto him as she had, and hoping that what arrived was enough.</p>
<p>She didn't <em>think</em> she had damaged him too badly, anyway. And whatever harm she wrought, the tiger spirit White Blaze could likely fix. Probably. Unless she had torn his mind apart, but she had estimated that to be unlikely. Her power was constrained with her — in person, it would have been simple, but from the distance of dimensions, her impact was greatly lessened.</p>
<p>If Morgan allowed herself to be honest, she knew she had erred, that not taking Branislav's well-being into account was a failure and beneath her. But she was desperate now, frantic and near panic any time she choked down another breath.</p>
<p>The risk to Branislav was worth even the barest chance that her power could reach through him to one who might be able to help. And if White Blaze could do what she could not, could find the Chosen One and restore him, then she would make amends later.</p>
<p>The Chosen One <em>must</em> be saved.</p>
<p>Morgan had lost so much already. She could not lose him, too.</p>
<p>And the world could not lose him.</p>
<p>Morgan heaved in a breath and cast her mind through some simple exercises, so ingrained they felt like the heartbeat she could not hear in the void that had filled her ears with rushing silence for so long. She was exhausted and drained, but she would recover in time. She must be ready when her strength returned to try again, either to reach Branislav or to reach the Chosen One directly. She must be ready to help if the door of his mind opened even a crack.</p>
<p>She hated the helplessness of trusting in the false Guardian and the tiger spirit to save him in her place, but she would accept any indignity if it returned the Chosen One to her.</p>
<p>She must be prepared to meet him, in whatever state, the instant she was given the chance.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Eliot was on edge. The rhythm of cooking couldn't settle the pinprick of wariness that had settled into his spine.</p>
<p>He had met Hardison, Parker, and Max upon their arrival, checking Max's wounds and rebandaging them. He had stepped back while Sophie fussed over the kid, focusing on the meal he owed the team. Even keeping an ear out for Nate to extricate himself from the police station and return felt soothing in comparison.</p>
<p>When Nate walked in and the whole team could finally remove their earbuds, Eliot managed to catch the Mastermind's eye. Nate correctly interpreted his expression and casually strolled into the kitchen area, though his gaze never wandered from the other four gathered around a table talking and making jokes.</p>
<p>"What is it?" he asked quietly.</p>
<p>Eliot turned his attention to the salmon he was searing, keeping his voice low.</p>
<p>"Hardison sent me the security camera footage. That wasn't Max's first fight. He's got experience."</p>
<p>Nate frowned. "You don't mean when he stepped in to help Sophie."</p>
<p>"No. That kind of practice...you don't get that without years of watching your back. He's been fighting so long he doesn't have to think about it." He paused. "Nate, he's been fighting longer than Parker and Hardison. Longer than you."</p>
<p>"Could this be something else the school kept from his mom?"</p>
<p>"No." Eliot shook his head, forcing his voice to stay even. "It's not the kind of fighting practice you get in a schoolyard. Even a herd of bullies beating on a kid for years won't hone those instincts that way. Then he'd be a lot more defensive, used to protecting himself against blows and looking for escape routes. No, Max is used to fighting adults. A lot of adults, Nate."</p>
<p>"You're sure?"</p>
<p>"It's...it's a very distinctive style of fighting. He's had experience and training. I'd say at least four years of concentrated effort. He's used to being up against crowds that he can't run away from. He's used to manipulating his environment because he's outnumbered and outgunned. He's <em>also</em> used to having at least one other person at his side, though. There were gaps in his awareness, like he had a partner there to handle his blind side."</p>
<p>Eliot squeezed the metal spatula too hard and felt it warp under his hand.</p>
<p>"Nate, what the hell is going on?"</p>
<p>"I don't know. But we need to find out." After a moment, "Do you think he's been lying to us?"</p>
<p>"No. I honestly don't."</p>
<p>"So what does that mean, Eliot? How can he be a fighter like that?"</p>
<p>Eliot swallowed. "I don't think he's aware of it."</p>
<p>"What?" That was almost too loud, too sharp, but before Eliot could even worry, he heard Sophie raise her voice to draw attention, and he felt Max's interest slide away without even looking up.</p>
<p>"Fighting like that is instinctive. He did it without having to think about it. But the kid who was fighting isn't the same kid who cried on the way to his mom's house. Watch the security feed. You'll see." Eliot used an elbow to gesture to a nearby tablet.</p>
<p>Nate went quiet while he pulled up what Hardison had sent over.</p>
<p>Eliot focused on not ruining the salmon, his stomach tense with the possibilities.</p>
<p>"You're right," Nate said finally. "He was making jokes. He was <em>comfortable</em> in a way he isn't even right now. Like a different person." Nate braced his arms on the counter, body angled away from the others at the table. "If you had to guess…?"</p>
<p>Eliot forced down the choking flash of rage. "Child soldier. Or deep cover sleeper agent."</p>
<p>"You know what this means?"</p>
<p>He did; Nate would have to hypnotize the kid to get at the truth. "You gonna tell him you're doing it?"</p>
<p>"Not unless I have to. We need to know, and I don't want to scare him off." Nate's whole body was tense like a bowstring before releasing an arrow. "But we have to find out what the hell happened to him, and who might be behind it. If someone's been hurting him, taking advantage of the fact that his mom's never around…"</p>
<p>"He can't go back, Nate. Not if he's…" Eliot trailed off.</p>
<p>"Start light, right after dinner. See if he can show you his moves. Then we'll try to dig into this." Nate let out a breath. "Are we safe having him around? Is he a threat?"</p>
<p>Eliot hated that Nate had to ask the question, and hated his answer even more. "Not to me. If...if he's a problem, I can take care of it." He looked up and met Nate's eyes. "Don't make me have to, Nate. Please."</p>
<p>Nate could only nod.</p>
<p>Dinner was a strained affair, but Max didn't seem to feel it. The rest of the crew was aware that something was up, and Sophie's troubled glances didn't go unnoticed by Eliot and, he was sure, Nate either, but they tried to maintain appearances. Hardison managed to babble a million miles an hour, and Parker was being very Parker-ish, so the two of them kept Max comfortably distracted. Eliot noticed that Max ate a lot, and that added to the picture in his mind. The kid was scrawny, almost undergrown, but ate with the kind of appetite Parker had after scaling most of a skyscraper the hard way.</p>
<p>None of this was good.</p>
<p>As he rose to start dishes after the meal, Nate cleared his throat. "Hey, Max?"</p>
<p>"Yeah?"</p>
<p>"How would you feel about working with Eliot a little bit? See if he can give you some pointers for the next time you have to deal with thugs in an alley?" He said it lightly, but it was his con voice and the whole team felt it.</p>
<p>"Surely we don't expect that to happen often," Sophie objected, and she was playing a character now and Eliot hated it.</p>
<p>"Twice in one day," Hardison put in. "Can't hurt, right?"</p>
<p>"Go easy though," Parker said, poking the kid in the ribs. "You just ate. Eliot will kill you if you try to give him all his food back. He kinda takes that personally."</p>
<p>Max made a rueful smile. "I promise not to puke up the best food I've eaten in as long as I can remember." He looked up at Eliot. "Want me to help with dishes first?"</p>
<p>"Oh, we can do those," Sophie said. "You boys go have a good time." She rose and smoothly removed the plates from Eliot's hands.</p>
<p>"There's a workout room without any equipment in it," Nate said. "Should give you enough space."</p>
<p>It was also a room with only one door, easy to contain any problems, and had cameras set up in it already from the cheap security this tiny hotel had. Eliot didn't even look at Nate, but he nodded anyway. Message understood.</p>
<p>"But don't make him bleed again!" Parker yelled after them as Eliot led the way out.</p>
<p>The exercise room smelled stale, and the lights above buzzed as Eliot entered and shut the door behind him.</p>
<p>"We're gonna take it easy," he said, nodding toward Max's shoulder. "I ain't patching you up again today."</p>
<p>"Okay." Max blinked at him. "So...what do I do?"</p>
<p>"First, let me ask you. You got any experience? Any training? Maybe a karate class when you were a kid or something?"</p>
<p>"No, nothing." Max shook his head.</p>
<p>"You handled those guys today, though."</p>
<p>"I guess?" Max shrugged carefully around his shoulder. "It all happened really fast."</p>
<p>"Hmm."</p>
<p>Eliot braced one foot, enough to telegraph his next move. He wasn't surprised when Max tensed in response.</p>
<p>"I ain't gonna hurt you," Eliot said. "I just wanna see something."</p>
<p>And he launched himself at the kid, aiming a simple strike at his head.</p>
<p>Max ducked and rolled, coming up with his arms in a block.</p>
<p>Eliot stopped. Raised his eyebrows.</p>
<p>Max blinked and looked at his hands.</p>
<p>"What...how did I…"</p>
<p>As Eliot watched, Max's eyes widened and his breathing sped up. The kid stumbled a step back, then two. His hands started to shake.</p>
<p>Eliot reached for him at full speed this time, too fast for Max to react especially while beginning to have a panic attack. He got the kid by the shoulders and squeezed.</p>
<p>"Easy, kid. Breathe for me."</p>
<p>"It doesn't...something's…"</p>
<p>Eliot shook his head. "You really don't know, do you?"</p>
<p>Max looked up, his blue eyes wide and lost. "I…"</p>
<p>"It's okay. Just breathe a minute. We'll figure it out."</p>
<p>Max looked like he wanted to argue, but Eliot squeezed his shoulders again, and just like that Max sagged as though his strings had been cut. He copied Eliot's breathing, his own hitching and hiccuping as he shook.</p>
<p>When Max got his breath back, Eliot looked up at the camera for a moment, knowing Nate was watching, knowing Nate would understand.</p>
<p>They hadn't intended to tell him about this, but Eliot knew now they couldn't do that to him.</p>
<p>"Max. There's something going on here. You don't remember learning any of that, do you?"</p>
<p>Max shook his head, fists opening and closing with his breathing.</p>
<p>"We can try to help you, if you want us to."</p>
<p>He looked up, desperate. "How?"</p>
<p>"Nate will hypnotize you. Find out if there's anything in your head that you can't remember."</p>
<p>Eliot was not expecting the response he got.</p>
<p>Max's whole body <em>flinched</em> as though he'd been struck. The panic came back tenfold. Max actually pulled himself out of Eliot's grip and stumbled backwards until his spine hit a wall. He put his hands over his ears and shut his eyes. He slid down the wall until he was crouching — not sitting, because sitting made it hard to run or fight — and started rocking back and forth.</p>
<p>It took Eliot a moment to realize that the kid's mouth was forming words even without breathing a sound.</p>
<p>"Stay out of my head. Stay out of my head. Stay out of my head…"</p>
<p>"Crap. Nate, get down here," he said, knowing that Nate would understand even if there wasn't sound on these cameras. Eliot gave Max space for a moment, more concerned than ever.</p>
<p>This was bad. The kid had been <em>hurt</em>. It wasn't just that his brain chemistry was cruel — <em>someone</em> had been cruel. Something had been done to the kid, something he had repressed with every fiber of his being.</p>
<p>Later, Eliot knew he would be consumed with rage. Right now, there was a kid in front of him.</p>
<p>Nate slipped into the workout room, giving him a nod. He bent down beside the kid.</p>
<p>"Max?" Nate pitched his voice low and soft. "It's okay. We're not going to hurt you. You're safe."</p>
<p>Max's breath stuttered, his rocking not slowing.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Parker was there. "Back up," she ordered. Nate took one look at her face and did so, moving back until he was beside Eliot.</p>
<p>"Max," Parker said, and her voice was not gentle, but not harsh. She spoke as if she was asking him about the weather, or telling him about why she hated grifting. "Tell me three things you can feel."</p>
<p>A moment later, even though he didn't open his eyes, he whispered, "The wall, my stitches, my hair." He tugged the hair in demonstration.</p>
<p>"Tell me three things you can hear."</p>
<p>"Your voice, the lights buzzing, and my shoes on the floor."</p>
<p>"Tell me three things you can see."</p>
<p>Eliot held his breath, but Max cracked open his eyes. "You, Eliot, Nate."</p>
<p>"Good." She nodded and Eliot thought she might even be smiling a tiny bit. "Tell me three things that are definitely true."</p>
<p>"I really liked dinner, this room smells like feet, and I'm safe here."</p>
<p>"Exactly." Parker looked over her shoulder at Eliot and Nate. "Don't set him off again, okay? But that should work if you do."</p>
<p>"Parker." Nate was looking at her like he'd never seen her before. "How'd you do that?"</p>
<p>She shrugged. That seemed to be all the answer she would offer. But she backed up, too, and let them approach again.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry if we scared you, Max," Nate said. "I promise you, we won't hurt you no matter what. We said we would look out for you and we will. We just want to make sure you're okay."</p>
<p>"I know." He had dropped his hands, but he was still crouched against the wall. "And I don't...I don't know why I reacted like that."</p>
<p>"Do you want to find out?"</p>
<p>Eliot glanced at Nate, but Nate raised an eyebrow. He wasn't wrong — they needed to get a handle on this, sooner rather than later. But Eliot wasn't sure it was a good idea to push the kid on the heels of a panic attack.</p>
<p>Max surprised him — he looked up, swallowed, and squared his jaw. "Yeah."</p>
<p>"Now?" Nate offered.</p>
<p>Max nodded and pushed back to his feet. "But…" He looked at the three and his body went hesitant again.</p>
<p>"We'll be with you," Nate promised. "All of us, or whoever you want."</p>
<p>Eliot watched Max consider, then they all turned as the door opened again to admit Sophie and Hardison.</p>
<p>"We're here for you Max," Sophie said. She clearly wanted to hug the kid, but was holding herself back because she wasn't sure touch was welcome.</p>
<p>"Nate's hypnotized me before," Hardison added. "He's good at it. Better when he asks permission." But he winked to show he was joking. "And we're here if you want backup or anything."</p>
<p>"Okay." Max drew himself up. "I...I don't know what will happen, and I understand if you don't...if you don't want to. But...I…"</p>
<p>"We'll all sit with you," Eliot found himself saying.</p>
<p>And some of the tension went out of the kid. "Thanks."</p>
<p>The six of them made their way to one of the unused rooms. Without being asked, Max made himself comfortable on one of the two beds. He propped a pillow behind himself and folded his hands on his chest — partially to keep them from trembling.</p>
<p>Parker and Hardison perched on the other bed, sitting close together. Nate pulled one of the room's chairs to Max's side and sat. Sophie eventually settled on the foot of Max's bed, close enough that she could touch him but not so close she would disturb him.</p>
<p>Max's eyes found Eliot and, upon seeing the Hitter shut the door and lean against it where he could guard the room and watch over it, relaxed.</p>
<p>"Okay, Max. You're going to be okay. Just shut your eyes and listen to my voice."</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Norman found himself in an old forest. The trees stretched upward endlessly, sunlight trickling between their far-off leaves to only dimly illuminate the forest floor.</p>
<p>Someone was crying.</p>
<p>Norman moved instinctively towards the sound, finding as he did so that he was wearing the strangest collection of armor he'd seen outside of a comic book convention. The shoulder plate was old, the bracer one he'd carried centuries ago, and yet the army boots and pants were contemporary. He even felt the familiar weight of his father's sword on his back.</p>
<p>The underbrush crunched under his feet as he moved towards the sounds, the crying becoming more distressed with every step he took. Soon, it had morphed into screaming, and Norman was running as fast as he possibly could.</p>
<p>The forest fell away suddenly to a barren cliff, beyond which seemed a bottomless gorge.</p>
<p>At the edge of the cliff, Norman could make out two tiny hands holding on desperately.</p>
<p>He charged forward, throwing himself to the ground and stretching out.</p>
<p>For a moment, he felt small hands in his own. He saw a flash of red, of sunstruck hair, of eyes like the sky.</p>
<p>Then, somehow, his grip failed and the small hands vanished. The figure fell, swallowed by the shadows of the gorge before he could move.</p>
<p>Norman jerked awake with the sound of screaming echoing in his ears.</p>
<p>He ran a hand through his hair, breath too fast and heart pounding. He glanced at his bedside clock and was surprised to see that he had only gone to bed twenty or thirty minutes before. He was regularly visited by nightmares, but this was different. This one felt strange and real and meaningful. Not like the night terrors of past battles and death and war, but a wholly worse terror somehow.</p>
<p>Norman swallowed bile in his throat and forced himself to roll over on the bed, shutting his eyes once more.</p>
<p>He didn't know why he felt that one imaginary kid falling away from him was far worse than every life he'd ever failed to save. But he did.</p>
<p>And it haunted him until dawn.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Nate would be the first to admit that he was not an expert at hypnosis. After learning it in prison, he had done his research, of course, but that only went so far. Other than Hardison and a few people behind bars, Nate had only hypnotized two or three others, and those were all marks. Never a child, and never someone with the kind of issues that could spawn a panic attack out of seemingly nowhere.</p>
<p>Still, he had offered, and he intended to get to the bottom of whatever was going on with the kid.</p>
<p>So he started simple. Getting Max into a trance proved to be a little difficult, but he persevered and eventually the kid went fully under. After that, he set about putting the kid at ease, reinforcing again and again that he was safe, that the crew was with him, that he wasn't alone, that they would protect him. He even had each of the others speak briefly, just to ensure that Max's subconscious and unconscious mind could imprint their voices with that feeling of safety.</p>
<p>That done, he went digging.</p>
<p>With Hardison, he had taken him back to playing violin as a kid, but he'd known that was where to aim. With Max, he had no such certainty. So he had to start vague.</p>
<p>"Tell me about fighting today. How did you know what to do?"</p>
<p>"Remembered."</p>
<p>"What did you remember?"</p>
<p>"Fighting. Have to protect."</p>
<p>"Protect what?"</p>
<p>"My...my…" Max's face suddenly flushed bright red and his body went rigid.</p>
<p>"Easy," Nate immediately intervened. "Don't answer that question. Breathe, Max."</p>
<p>He shot a glance over to Eliot. The Hitter just shook his head back. Whatever it was Max thought he had to protect was enough to cause him not just to respond, but for his whole body to brace itself, igniting the fight or flight instinct to the extreme. But there was nothing, nothing in the kid's history, nothing he had mentioned, nothing to account for it. Nate didn't like this one bit.</p>
<p>Nate waited until Max was again relaxed and calm. "Tell me about the first time you were in a fight like you were today. How old were you?"</p>
<p>"Eleven."</p>
<p>"How did it start?"</p>
<p>"Went to the Minimart. Some...something was…" He started to twitch. "Chasing…"</p>
<p>"You're safe, Max," Nate assured him. "It's only a memory. It can't hurt you."</p>
<p>Max settled again.</p>
<p>The pit in Nate's stomach was getting colder and deeper with apprehension.</p>
<p>"Let's focus on who taught you to fight. Was it just one person, or many people?"</p>
<p>"One person."</p>
<p>"Do you trust them?"</p>
<p>"Yes." Then, he flinched. "No."</p>
<p>Nate paused. Both answers not only were truthful — hypnosis would do that — but seemed equally valid. As if Max did trust whoever it was, and then also didn't. A betrayal maybe? Or perhaps someone Max had been <em>conditioned</em> to trust, and now was beginning to question? He decided to push forward.</p>
<p>"So you don't trust them? Or you did, and you don't now?"</p>
<p>"Trust...no. Not the same anymore."</p>
<p>Nate let that pass, sensing that the kid was going to shut down if he went farther along this line of questioning. "Okay. Can you tell me why they taught you to fight in the first place?"</p>
<p>"Protect. Stay safe. Have to...have to be able to...without help."</p>
<p>Nate could read the signs of mounting tension again, so he spoke up quickly. "They wanted you to be able to protect yourself when you were in trouble, if there was no one to help you?"</p>
<p>"Close enough."</p>
<p>"Okay." Nate filed that away. "Did you only practice together, or did you have to protect yourself sometimes?"</p>
<p>"Fights...lots of fights. So many."</p>
<p>"Since you were eleven?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p><em>Eleven.</em> It made Nate's blood want to boil, except he had to stay in control. He knew without looking that the rest of the crew felt similarly. This kid needed saving from <em>something</em>, that was for sure.</p>
<p>Nate drew in a deep breath. "Max, was the person who trained you working independently?"</p>
<p>"No."</p>
<p>"How many people connected to your training did you have contact with during this time?"</p>
<p>"Two."</p>
<p>"Were they working for a larger organization?"</p>
<p>There was a long pause, so long Nate wondered if Max had fallen asleep. He counted a full minute in his head before he prodded again.</p>
<p>"Max?"</p>
<p>"Not...technically."</p>
<p>Nate had no idea what that meant, but clearly that was the most he would get on that subject. He looked up to Eliot and raised one shoulder in a half shrug.</p>
<p>Eliot nodded back.</p>
<p>"Max, do you know what happened that stopped you from remembering any of this?"</p>
<p>Again, Max's face went red. But he answered before Nate could backtrack.</p>
<p>"Attacked. Surprise. Bright light. Cold."</p>
<p>"That's enough," Sophie whispered, watching the kid's body start to shake.</p>
<p>Nate was in agreement — he was actually afraid if he pushed any harder that the kid might start to scream. So he reached out and clasped Max's hand.</p>
<p>"Okay. You've done such a good job, Max. I'm really proud of you." He was only a little surprised to realize he meant it. "Remember what I said about you being safe here?"</p>
<p>"Safe," Max agreed, relaxing once more.</p>
<p>"Okay. I'm going to wake you up now, and you'll remember what we talked about, but none of the painful feelings. You'll know you are safe and you'll know you can trust us."</p>
<p>By the time Max's eyes fluttered open, his breathing was even and there might have been the barest hint of a smile hidden in his expression.</p>
<p>"Well, that was weird," Max said. "It's like...I can remember things, but then there's these big holes too." He looked up at the others. "What even...what's it mean?"</p>
<p>Eliot pushed off the door to move closer. "Honestly, I don't have a clue. It's not something that happens if you were trained to be a sleeper agent, for example."</p>
<p>Max recoiled. "Did you really think I was one?"</p>
<p>Eliot shrugged noncommittally. "Anyway, you aren't. It's almost more like you took a head injury somewhere in there."</p>
<p>"Amnesia plots are overdone," Parker put in from where she had taken to pulling individual threads out of the bed's comforter.</p>
<p>"Not helpful," Nate said. He turned back to Max. "It doesn't matter. We'll figure it out. In the meantime, it's good to know you have at least some experience taking care of yourself, but I don't want you running into any more fights, intentionally or otherwise."</p>
<p>"Nate?" Sophie asked.</p>
<p>"Somebody trained him," he said. "Somebody put years of effort into him, and apparently he went on at least a few excursions that needed those skills. There's no way to know why it stopped. Maybe it was a head injury, but maybe it wasn't. Until we know for sure that nobody is out there looking for him, I don't want anything to draw any attention to him."</p>
<p>"You think some kind of spooks or something are after him?" Hardison asked.</p>
<p>"It's not likely, but I'd rather be careful," Nate said. He met Max's eyes. "I didn't go deep into why you had the panic attack."</p>
<p>Max nodded.</p>
<p>"Do you want me to? Not now, but sometime?"</p>
<p>"I think so. I don't...I don't want to be a problem."</p>
<p>Ah, there was the Max they first met, valuing himself not at all and being willing to put himself aside for them even when it was completely unreasonable to do so. Nate liked it better when Max was a lot less self-deprecating, but at least the kid was settling back into his own normal.</p>
<p>"You're not. We'll give it a few days and try again. In the meantime, if you remember anything else, let us know right away." He realized he was still holding onto Max and he squeezed. "We're with you, Max. You're safe with us, and we'll figure this out."</p>
<p>And the relief in the kid's eyes was honest.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max was not quite asleep when he heard something from the room next door — Eliot's, he remembered. It was well after midnight, but Max rarely slept well in the first place, and in spite of the day he'd had, he found it no easier to rest than usual.</p>
<p>So he was awake enough to hear Eliot leave his own room, and to hear some whispers down the hall.</p>
<p>Curious, Max pushed to his feet. He slipped out of his pajamas and pulled his jeans and a shirt on, then padded out of the room in his socked feet. The whole place should have been dark and quiet, but Max could sense a humming tension in the air.</p>
<p>He made his way down the hall, following where he thought Eliot had gone. There was light coming from under the main meeting room's door which was not quite latched. As he got closer, he heard the whispering turn into talking normally and realized all of them were awake.</p>
<p>"Are you sure it's not malfunctioning?" That was Sophie.</p>
<p>"No. Everything's reading normally. Just with one big proximity alarm," Hardison said.</p>
<p>Max felt his heart speed up.</p>
<p>"Where?" Eliot growled.</p>
<p>"I don't know. It showed up out the back door, then disappeared from the sensor."</p>
<p>"The sensors are only outside," Nate said. "Has anybody checked the door?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," Parker said. "And you're not gonna like it. We might have company."</p>
<p>Eliot made a wordless sound of anger and surprise and then two things happened at once.</p>
<p>Eliot burst out the door, flooding the hallway with light which caused Max to blink rapidly at the sudden brightness.</p>
<p>Behind him, he heard the sound of boots on the floor and a surprised gasp.</p>
<p>"You're here!"</p>
<p>Max cleared his vision in time to see Eliot poised, face dark with anger, but frozen. Because standing just a few paces behind Max was a man he didn't recognize dressed in army surplus clothing and obviously armed.</p>
<p>The stranger and Eliot both reached for Max at the same time.</p>
<p>To his horror, Eliot missed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Leaning Over Ledges</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry, this is way late. Next week's might be too. Work is a beast.</p>
<p>Anyway, at least I got to it before the week was out!</p>
<p>The song for this chapter is "Blood and Fire" by the Indigo Girls.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sophie didn't even dare to breathe.</p>
<p>As if the day hadn't been eventful enough, now their peaceful night in the tiny, vacated bed and breakfast (with its owners sent on a lovely cruise) had been interrupted by everyone's phones going off with one of Hardison's alarms. Sophie wouldn't have bothered, but Nate got up and told her to get dressed, and she was just annoyed enough to obey, if only to vent her feelings directly at Hardison when she saw him.</p>
<p>But her irritation vanished in moments. This wasn't one of Hardison's little programs having feelings and wanting to share them at inconvenient times. This was a legitimate safety concern. It was always a risk on any job that their base would be made, their identities compromised, and the risk was worse when they weren't in a city they knew inside and out. Especially running a Triple Deke con, it was critical that no one conflate Annie Croy with Nate's character — which meant no one could ever catch Annie Croy out of place.</p>
<p>Sophie had been readying herself for a verbal confrontation. For a defense of her character and an explanation for Bakerson's goons that wouldn't ruin the con.</p>
<p><em>Not</em> a paramilitary man breaking in and snatching Max out from Eliot's grasp.</p>
<p>Nate reached for Sophie's arm and gave her a shove, as if to hide her in the room and out of sight. It was noble, and utterly impractical. She was the first to admit that she wanted nothing to do with a physical confrontation, especially one that involved guns. But Max was out there, and her team was here, and her place was with them.</p>
<p>Even if she did step a little bit to the side. But that was as much to make more room for Nate and Parker in the doorway. She felt Hardison settle in beside her, tablet in his hands and fingers flying silently. His body was ramrod straight, and she knew his thoughts were speeding faster than his internet connection.</p>
<p>She could only hope it helped.</p>
<p>Sophie decided the best thing she could do was bend her own skills to the situation, and she resolved to watch with all her power.</p>
<p>The unknown man was <em>huge</em>. Head and shoulders taller than Eliot, taller than anyone who wasn't a professional athlete or an extra from a movie set in a film about giants. One of his meaty hands was latched around Max's arm, and the kid was frozen, eyes wide and breathing too fast.</p>
<p>With his back to her, Sophie couldn't see his face, but she knew Eliot's expression must be downright terrifying even before he spoke.</p>
<p>"<em>Let him go</em>."</p>
<p>"The boy comes with me," the man said, and Sophie caught an accent. Eastern European, definitely. Slavic, probably, but she couldn't pin it down more than that.</p>
<p>"The <em>hell </em>he does," Nate said, only less venomously because he wasn't currently bristling hard enough to crack floor tiles. "I don't know who you are, but nobody...<em>nobody</em>...comes after my crew."</p>
<p>"Crew?" The man raised an eyebrow. "The boy does not belong to you."</p>
<p>"<em>Yes he does</em>." And that was Eliot, rage barely leashed. "<em>Let him go</em>."</p>
<p>"I do not wish to fight you. I only come for the boy."</p>
<p>Sophie barely stifled a breath. This was all their worst fears came to life. Whatever had happened to Max in the past, it seemed someone was indeed interested in him. Max might not remember how he learned to fight, but his terror now was obvious. He was frozen, nearly hyperventilating, and shaking.</p>
<p>"You don't want to do this," Nate said. "Whoever you are and whatever you think you want with Max, you're not going to get it. He's not alone anymore. You can't just use him for your own purposes."</p>
<p>Sophie realized Nate was moving, and it took her a moment to understand why. Nate wasn't foolish enough to try to fight the man, not when he was twice Nate's weight and armed with at least one gun on top of it. No — he was getting clear of Eliot and the man, putting himself to the side both to split the man's attention and opening a better avenue of attack for Eliot. And the fact that he did so on the same side the man was holding Max was deliberate as well.</p>
<p>"I do not intend to use him," the man said, shifting slightly to account for a possible dual threat. "I must help return him to his home."</p>
<p>"Now I know you're lying," Nate said. "We know where he lives. You are just a hired goon." He leaned forward, his face vicious and dark. "Tell me who hired you and what they paid you for, and we'll double your fee to walk away."</p>
<p>Sophie found herself nodding. Everything about the man read as hired muscle. Eliot would call him a mercenary, probably. If his motivation was money, they could handle that.</p>
<p>(And if they asked Hardison to ruin the man <em>after</em> they had his bank account information, that was a fair price for interrupting their night and putting such fear into Max's face.)</p>
<p>"I am not here for money. I am here for the boy."</p>
<p>Eliot took a half-step forward, snarling. "You ain't walking out of here with him, I promise you that."</p>
<p>Sophie heard the words and hoped Max knew that the promise was meant for him as well.</p>
<p>The man looked down at Max. "Tell them I mean you no harm." Then he paused, flinched. "I do, you know. I care only for your safety."</p>
<p>Max shook his head, eyes squeezing shut.</p>
<p>To Sophie's surprise, the man's tone turned almost pleading. "Please. I know all is not well between us, but I...I am better than I was. I have clarity for the moment. You have good cause to doubt, but you must trust me again as you once did."</p>
<p>"How about you shut up?" Nate's hands were tight in fists. Sophie hoped he wasn't going to try to punch the guy himself. "Look at him. Max doesn't want to go with you. You're going to have to get past us if you think you can just walk out with him."</p>
<p>Sophie saw it, the moment the man decided to fight rather than talk. She watched his muscles bunch, watched him prepare to bundle Max under an arm, prepare to fight his way past them. She saw it, so Eliot saw it.</p>
<p>But Eliot hesitated.</p>
<p>At the very moment Sophie realized she hadn't seen Parker in a while, Parker appeared behind the man and jumped on his back, taser unerringly jammed into his neck.</p>
<p>Nate rushed forward as the man's body seized, grabbing Max and ripping him out of the man's control. Max fell into him bonelessly, and Nate half-carried him back to them. Sophie wrapped her arms around the kid and tried to breathe at him to help him calm down.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the instant Max was clear, <em>then</em> Eliot charged. He slammed into the much larger figure who was still writhing under Parker's taser. She leaped away in time for Eliot to crash the point of an elbow into the guy's jaw. He followed it with a swift move Sophie could barely see, smashing him to the ground while his muscles still twitched and contracted.</p>
<p>But he was shaking off the taser fast, faster than anyone Sophie had ever seen — and proximity to Parker meant she had seen rather a lot of people get tased. Eliot noticed as well, not letting up his assault. Before the man could collect himself, Eliot yanked an arm up at an awful angle that made Sophie's shoulder ache in sympathy. The Hitter braced a heavy foot on the shoulder joint, and Sophie knew he could snap the limb in an instant.</p>
<p>But Eliot paused and looked over to Nate.</p>
<p>There was a deep trust in his eyes that she couldn't miss even though the expression wasn't meant for her. Sophie didn't entirely understand the dynamic Nate and Eliot shared, but she still felt awe at it when she saw it in moments like this. For a person who could kill in a heartbeat, a person whose strength was unrivaled, the fact that he could let the decisions about life and death, about levels of force, rest in Nate's hands told her all she ever needed to know about either of them.</p>
<p>"Parker," Nate said, voice still unsteady with fury, "what's the strongest rope you have?"</p>
<p>"Not strong enough," she said, eyeing the guy. "Neither are standard handcuffs."</p>
<p>"There's some chain out back with the dumpsters," Hardison put in suddenly. "So people don't steal them? I never got why people steal dumpsters. Anyway, it's pretty strong."</p>
<p>"On it." Parker darted away.</p>
<p>"Can you hold him?" Nate asked.</p>
<p>Eliot grunted. The man beneath him was starting to move normally, but Eliot's hold was unrelenting.</p>
<p>"I do not want to hurt you," the man said.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I don't care." Nate kept his distance. "You come after <em>my </em>people, you're gonna <em>pay </em>for it."</p>
<p>Eliot shifted suddenly, yanking the arm higher. "Nate, the gun."</p>
<p>Sophie gasped, but Nate didn't hesitate. He darted forward and kicked at where the man was trying to get the gun out from underneath himself. But he was not a trained fighter, and he mostly only managed to put himself off-balance.</p>
<p>The man threw Eliot away from himself with a roar, pushing to his knees and lifting the gun, pointing it at Nate.</p>
<p>Sophie didn't realize Max was moving until he was gone, running for them.</p>
<p>"Max!" she cried out.</p>
<p>Nate made a grab for him, but Max ducked his reach and planted himself in front of the man, arms outstretched, gun pointed squarely at his chest.</p>
<p>"Stop!"</p>
<p>The man froze.</p>
<p>He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then Eliot was there, punching him in the head with all his strength. It didn't bring him down, but it created another opening.</p>
<p>Sophie didn't expect Max to be the one to exploit it.</p>
<p>Max snatched the gun from the man, clumsily turning it on him. "D-don't move!"</p>
<p>Nate moved to his side, but didn't take the gun from him right away. "You shouldn't have…" he started. Then he sighed. "Never mind."</p>
<p>"I got the chain!" Parker announced, stepping back into the light. She also had the padlock that went with it.</p>
<p>"Chain him up," Nate ordered. Eliot was already grabbing the man's arms and twisting them behind him viciously.</p>
<p>"Here, Parker," Eliot said, and somehow Sophie was just not surprised that Eliot used the opportunity to teach the Thief how best to restrain dangerous men. She couldn't hear most of the low discussion, but even the man looked a tiny bit impressed.</p>
<p>When he wasn't staring at Max.</p>
<p>Actually, that was starting to get creepy.</p>
<p>When the padlock snapped into place, Sophie decided to step out from the questionable safety of the doorway, Hardison following her. She reached Nate and Max just as Parker was examining the growing bruise on the man's jaw from Eliot's opening strike and asking if she could tase him again for waking her up.</p>
<p>Nate quietly took the gun from Max's shaking hands.</p>
<p>"Nate, what now?" Sophie asked.</p>
<p>He shot her a look that anyone else would think looked knowing and confident; Sophie, however, could read deep uncertainty in it.</p>
<p>Nate had no idea what to do.</p>
<p>"Hey, noisy jerk!"</p>
<p>Sophie didn't quite sigh at Hardison deciding to pick <em>now </em>to pretend to be a tough guy.</p>
<p>"How about you give us a name to go with your ugly mug?"</p>
<p>The man frowned at the insult, but answered. "Branislav Kovac."</p>
<p>"Getting anything?" Parker asked him, leaning over his tablet.</p>
<p>"Nothing on facial rec," Hardison said. "I'll scan the name."</p>
<p>"Definitely mercenary," Eliot put in. "Soldier training. Armenian, I think."</p>
<p>"How can you be sure?" Hardison asked, and Sophie knew he did it as much for the information as because he was always interested in how Eliot knew the things he knew.</p>
<p>"Belt buckle. It's very distinctive."</p>
<p>Sophie thought the uncomfortable tension might have continued, but Max stepped forward.</p>
<p>"Careful," Eliot warned, voice still low and angry, barely in check.</p>
<p>Max swallowed and nodded, but stepped forward until he was across from where Kovac sat, unmoving in his chains.</p>
<p>"Why did you come here?" he asked. Sophie didn't like how quiet and shaky his voice was at all.</p>
<p>"I came to help you. I will always come to help you."</p>
<p>Max shook his head and rubbed at his neck. "Why? Who are you? How do you know me?"</p>
<p>"You do not know?"</p>
<p>"Know what?"</p>
<p>Kovac shut his eyes. "What of yourself do you know? Do you know your worth? Your power? Your destiny?"</p>
<p>Max recoiled. "What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"You are lost. I came here to protect you, but nothing is as it should be here. I hoped that you would be spared, that your power would save you. But you do not even know me?"</p>
<p>"I've never seen you before," Max said, and Sophie heard the edge of panic.</p>
<p>"You have," Kovac said. "You called me Bran then. We fought side-by-side. Until I...I betrayed you. I hurt you. You and your most trusted allies."</p>
<p>"Stop." Nate said it before Sophie could. "Shut up. No more talking. Eliot, put him somewhere he can't get out of."</p>
<p>Max was breathing too quickly again, taking a trembling step backwards.</p>
<p>Sophie moved forward and again pulled Max against her, tucking her arms around him. "It's all right," she soothed. "You're safe with us. Remember, Max."</p>
<p>"I...I don't…"</p>
<p>"Please," Kovac said even as Parker and Eliot hauled him to his feet. "You must tell these people. Tell them that you are safe with me. Tell them that I am here to help you. You must remember that much. M...Max."</p>
<p>Max pushed away from Sophie enough to meet Kovac's eyes. But whatever he found there made him turn away again.</p>
<p>"I don't know you. I don't remember you. And I <em>don't</em> trust you."</p>
<p>"Neither do we," Nate said firmly.</p>
<p>"What are we gonna do with him?" Hardison asked as Parker and Eliot dragged Kovac down the hall.</p>
<p>"For now, lock him up and go back to bed," Nate said. He glanced at Max. "We could all use some more sleep. In the morning, we'll decide what to do about our new complication."</p>
<p>Max gulped and drew in a breath.</p>
<p>"No." Sophie put all her pent-up anger into the word, surprising the boy into freezing and staring at her. "You are <em>not</em> about to tell us that this is your fault and therefore we should let you go. You will not use a madman's ravings to try to convince us that you do not belong here."</p>
<p>"You're stuck with us," Nate added. "Eliot was ready to kill for you, Max. We're not letting you go that easily."</p>
<p>And Sophie did not imagine that Max settled against her in relief.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max couldn't sleep. He tried, as he promised Sophie and Nate he would, but he couldn't so much as close his eyes without seeing the man with the strange eyes. He tossed his blankets aside and pushed himself to a sitting position, wrapping his arms around his knees.</p>
<p>He'd said his name was Bran, that Max <em>called</em> him Bran before. That they had fought together. That Bran had betrayed him, and was sorry about it.</p>
<p>But <em>Max did not remember any of it.</em></p>
<p>The cold inside his chest yawned and stretched like a cat, settling into the familiar gaps inside his ribs. As if this new complication fed it, made it colder still. In a day that had been warm, that cold emptiness felt a hundred times worse.</p>
<p>Any other night, Max would probably have gone back to bed. Even if sleep eluded him, he would have let the night carry him in silence and gone no further.</p>
<p>But today he had made friends, people who seemed to truly care about him. People who had protected him, laughed with him, trusted him, welcomed him. Today he had been more than a void in the world. Today he had mattered.</p>
<p>Somehow, that was enough to push him out of the bed.</p>
<p>For the second time in the middle of the night, Max padded down the darkened hallway. This time, however, he didn't stop at the ballroom, or conference room, or dining room, or whatever it normally served as when this was a working hotel and not the base for Leverage Incorporated. His feet carried him to the storage closet where Eliot had stashed the intruder.</p>
<p>"You shouldn't be here."</p>
<p>Max almost jumped out of his skin before he realized it was Eliot speaking. The Hitter melted out of the darkness.</p>
<p>"Oh. Uh, hi," Max managed. "I didn't realize you were keeping watch."</p>
<p>"Well, I am."</p>
<p>Max shifted his weight from foot to foot.</p>
<p>"I ain't gonna ask if you got Nate's permission for this, because I know you didn't."</p>
<p>Max felt more than saw Eliot approach, and the weight of the hand on his shoulder grounded him. He managed to unstick his throat again. "No. But I have to anyway."</p>
<p>"Hmm." There was a pause. Then, "Two conditions, non-negotiable."</p>
<p>Max swallowed.</p>
<p>"First, you never, and I mean <em>never</em> come here to talk to him without me. You understand? Either I'm here, or you aren't. We clear on that?"</p>
<p>"Yeah," Max breathed, and felt relieved. Sure he wanted answers, but he was still scared to death. He wasn't completely sure Eliot could take the guy in a fight, but he was definitely sure nobody <em>else </em>could.</p>
<p>"Second, it ends when I say it ends. No arguing."</p>
<p>"But what if I need to know more about…?"</p>
<p>"No." Eliot's voice was granite. "You can talk to him with me listening. But if I decide I don't like what I'm hearing, or what he's trying to do to you, I will stop it. Those are my conditions. Take them or leave them."</p>
<p>Max nodded. "Okay."</p>
<p>Eliot nodded too, squeezing his shoulder once before he moved to the closet. He knocked on the door first.</p>
<p>"You got a visitor. You step one <em>toe</em> out of line and you're gonna wake up at the bottom of a flight of stairs. You hear me? Now move back."</p>
<p>Max didn't hear anything, but Eliot waited a moment before he unlocked the door and allowed it to swing open, flipping on a light as he did so.</p>
<p>Branislav Kovac looked about as he had two hours or so before, except now he was surrounded by empty shelves and a couple of rags. Max's brain wondered where Eliot and Parker had put all the supplies, because obviously that was the most important question here, before he made himself really focus. Branislav was blinking in the sudden light, and his face showed his own surprise at the visitor.</p>
<p>"You came."</p>
<p>"Ground rules, Kovac," Eliot said, holding out a hand before Max could speak. "I'm not doing this for you. Screw with the kid and you'll regret it. That's a <em>promise</em>."</p>
<p>Branislav nodded. "Though some of what I may say could be difficult to hear."</p>
<p>"Make it un-difficult."</p>
<p>"It's okay, Eliot," Max said. "I just...I want some answers."</p>
<p>Eliot muttered something that sounded a bit like "that's what I'm afraid of," but Max chose to ignore it. He cast around and found a big cleaning bucket still in one corner. With a glance to Eliot for permission, he rolled it to the closet doorway and turned it over so he had a seat. Branislav remained sitting on the ground and Eliot loomed right behind Max's shoulder, which made him feel safe even as he stared into the eyes that met his with an emotion he couldn't place.</p>
<p>"Why do you think you know me?"</p>
<p>"Because I do."</p>
<p>"From where?"</p>
<p>Branislav actually chuckled. "Very far from here indeed."</p>
<p>"That's...not actually very helpful."</p>
<p>Branislav sighed. "If you do not recall me, and if you are not yourself, then I fear you will not believe me. It is a difficult tale when all is as it should be, and it is not."</p>
<p>"Try me." Max meant to say it casually, but it came out low and scared.</p>
<p>"Imagine...a different life. Imagine a time and a place where you were more than just a boy. Where myths and legends had true substance, and where spirits and monsters were not merely stories, but parts of history."</p>
<p><em>Not at all </em>what Max had expected. "O...kay?"</p>
<p>"In that time...I was called to a great cause. To protect a hero, one whose hand guides the very path of destiny. But I was foolish and proud. I was so certain of my place and my powers, I made a terrible bargain in exchange for what I thought was greater power still. Something evil infiltrated my soul and my mind, driving me insane with rage. I was cast out, kept from the very one I had sworn to protect, for his safety. But my oath remained."</p>
<p>Max's mouth was dry.</p>
<p>"An ally, a friend came to me, and with his help, I was able to see clearly. But to...to make amends for my choices, I accepted a dangerous mission. To travel from where I belonged to this place which is not the same. This place where those magical things have all withered and died, where no monsters or spirits dwell. Where...the evil within my mind cannot follow."</p>
<p>"None of that tells us anything about Max," Eliot said.</p>
<p>Branislav looked up at him, and Max didn't, so he didn't know what either of them saw in the other, but Branislav nodded.</p>
<p>"You may not believe me, but neither of us can be whole unless I speak the full truth, so here it is. You are that hero, Max. You are the Chosen One, the Mighty One. And something has ripped you away from where you belong and abandoned you here. And I hate this world that stole you away, but I am free here as I am not in our true place."</p>
<p>He let out a breath.</p>
<p>"But wherever you go, you are the Mighty One. And I am your Guardian, sworn to protect you even at the cost of my life. And that is why you must trust in me again, so together we can find a way to return you to where you belong."</p>
<p>"You came all the way here without an extraction plan?" Eliot asked.</p>
<p>Max actually turned away to frown up at him. "You actually believe this?"</p>
<p>"Of course not." But that was apparently the only thing bothering him about the story. Max briefly wondered, of the three of them, which was possibly the weirdest after all.</p>
<p>Branislav huffed. "It is not ideal, no. But the forces that sent me here were trusting in the powers of the Mighty One to return us. However, from the instant I arrived, I knew he was not as he should be."</p>
<p>"What is that supposed to mean?" Max asked.</p>
<p>"Because there is no way to explain this which will not sound far worse than it is, I shall say only that we share a bond, and it is currently broken. Even I cannot sense your power as I should. It is as though a part of you is dead." He actually shivered. "It is unpleasant."</p>
<p>"Well," Max said, "that's literally the first thing you've said that makes sense."</p>
<p>He didn't miss how Branislav flinched at that, either.</p>
<p>"So...basically you think I'm some kind of messiah, from a different...world? Planet?" He frowned. "Are we dealing with aliens or alternate universes here?"</p>
<p>"The latter. I have never seen aliens, although I believe you have."</p>
<p>Max opted to ignore that <em>hard</em>. "And you're here to kidnap me, because you want to take me back, but now you're here and it turns out I'm not a hero and I'm useless to you and so you can't get back and basically we're all just out of luck."</p>
<p>"Max," Eliot said softly. "Just because he's crazy doesn't mean you're useless."</p>
<p>"I know you less well than I should," Branislav said, "but even so, I feel sure that you are a hero even now. Without your powers, perhaps, and alone, which is strange, but what makes you a hero is not so easily removed."</p>
<p>"Why is it strange he's alone?" Eliot asked. Max had kind of missed that bit, so ready was he to refute the heroism comment.</p>
<p>"There are others who accompany him at times. Allies."</p>
<p>"You said you betrayed my allies," Max remembered. "Assuming I believe any of this."</p>
<p>"Assuming you do, yes, I did. You and them. And I was wrong, but perhaps not so wrong as we all believed."</p>
<p>"What makes you say that?"</p>
<p>"Because either they are not here with you, and thus have failed you, or they <em>are</em> here, but they have not come to help you. If they, too, have forgotten all, but I have not, then my claim is once again the stronger. Once, you believed you could allow me to walk by your side, but my errors drove you away. Now that I am here again, I will not allow myself to be removed another time."</p>
<p>Max shook his head. "I don't understand any of this."</p>
<p>"Here's what I understand," Eliot said, taking a step so he stood at Max's side and leaning so he could meet Branislav's expression with a hard one of his own. "You're utterly delusional. You actually believe that Max is a superhero from another dimension and that your job is to protect him and drag him back there. <em>Maybe</em> you're lying, but I've met a lot of better liars than you so I don't think so."</p>
<p>He reached for Max's shoulder and pulled up his sleeve, gently revealing the darkening bruise with stripes from thick fingers.</p>
<p>"You burst in here intending to steal the kid in the middle of the night. You hurt him. I don't know who you think you're serving, or how you found us, but whatever you say about <em>protecting</em> isn't worth crap either way. A real protector <em>protects</em> what's his."</p>
<p>Branislav's eyes widened. "Mighty One, I…"</p>
<p>"<em>Don't</em> call me that," Max snapped. "Just...don't."</p>
<p>He nodded. "Max, then...I am...I am sorry. I followed the last traces of the powers that brought me here to you. I never meant...I could never intend to hurt you."</p>
<p>"But you did," Max said. "You <em>said</em> you did. So, is this just a thing you do, huh? Breeze into my life, mess up my head, leave me some bruises, and disappear? Are <em>you </em>the reason I can't remember things?" He found himself standing, chest heaving. "What did you <em>do </em>to me?"</p>
<p>Eliot gently tugged Max to his feet and pushed him backwards, carefully, but firmly. "We're done." He moved back as well. Just before flipping the light off again, he met Branislav's eyes with a glare that had the larger man going just a bit pale. "You <em>ever </em>lay a finger on him again and I'll cut it off. Anything of yours that touches him is forfeit."</p>
<p>He shut the door and locked it, then turned back to Max.</p>
<p>Max was tugging on his hair again, gulping air.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," Eliot said. "I shouldn't have let it get that far."</p>
<p>"Hey, I asked." He tried to chuckle and choked on it. "He's...he's just crazy. But he might...what if he's…?"</p>
<p>"We'll figure it out," Eliot said. Then, because Max was absolutely not calming down, he pulled the kid against his chest.</p>
<p>Max remembered that Eliot's hugs were rare, and maybe kind of secret, and that made it all the more important that he pay attention to this one. So he let Eliot wrap strong arms around him, let himself be crushed against a shirt button with a steady heartbeat thumping under his cheek.</p>
<p>"He <em>is </em>crazy, right?" Max asked. It was almost a plea.</p>
<p>"Probably, yeah," Eliot said. "I've seen a lot of weird things in the world, but nothing like that. But you never know when you're going to have to fight a monster. Just...most of 'em look human." He let out a breath. "Look. Even if he was telling you the truth, and I don't think he is, none of it matters. You're not some magic hero. You're Max. And you're here with us now. That's all that you have to worry about."</p>
<p>"But...if he...I mean, if he did something to my head…"</p>
<p>"We'll figure it out," Eliot said again. "But even if he did, it still doesn't matter. You're okay. We're here with you. And we're not going anywhere and neither are you. We'll deal with Kovac later. He could say you were the Tooth Fairy, and you'd still belong with us and we'd still ignore him. So don't let him get to you."</p>
<p>Max managed a nod. "Okay."</p>
<p>"Now, you gotta sleep, kid." Eliot released the hug but only to put his hands on Max's shoulders. "I know it ain't easy, but you need to try. Would you feel better bunking with Hardison? So you're not on your own?"</p>
<p>Max shook his head. "I'm not a baby, Eliot."</p>
<p>"No, but you've been through more than your share today. Sometimes a person just needs to know they're not alone. And, trust me, hearing Hardison snore makes it impossible to think you're alone."</p>
<p>That startled a chuckle out of Max before he could stop it. But he still shook his head. "I don't want to bother him by waking him up."</p>
<p>Eliot eyed him for a long moment, then sighed. "Go get your stuff. There's a couch down the hall. I'll drag it over. Okay?"</p>
<p>And Max hated the concession Eliot was making for him, and kind of loved him for it, too. In a matter of minutes, he had his blankets and his pillow stolen from his bed, and Eliot had the couch at a blind angle from the closet but in a perfect place for Eliot to perch at Max's feet to watch over the prisoner while protecting him in his sleep.</p>
<p>Max still didn't sleep all that much, but the quiet hours before dawn were peaceful for once, and that made it the best night he could remember for a long, long time.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Trouble Coursing Through Your Veins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey, look! I'm posting on time! Go me!</p>
<p>The song for this chapter is "Leave A Light On" by Tom Walker. I know the song is aimed more specifically at addiction and/or chemical dependency, but there's a lot in the message that works for this story, too. About being lost and alone, and needing a light to illuminate a way to safety. About finding someone who cares enough to light that light and reach out. And about holding out hope that the person in need will find the strength and courage to reach back.</p>
<p>Anyway. I'm so pleased that you all have been enjoying the story thus far. I'm about to throw you a new curveball, but then, you knew what you were in for when you signed on with me. So, here we go.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nate woke in the morning with his brain already taking off at full speed. Even before he'd shuffled out of bed and started moving towards the shower, he was balancing the situation in his head. Under any other circumstance, they would have called the police last night to get Kovac arrested as he deserved. But with Nate working with the cops as a DHS agent, he couldn't risk it.</p>
<p>It put them in the awkward position of taking a prisoner, which was...new.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Kovac clearly knew something about Max, more than Max knew about himself. And that needed to be investigated. Whatever the man was hiding about Max's hidden history needed to be dragged out of him if Max was going to have any peace. Not to mention that they might need the heads up if the conspiracy behind Max was bigger than he feared.</p>
<p>Nate sighed under the shower spray. It was a problem, for sure, with many facets and moving pieces, but what con wasn't? He would just have to include this whole angle in all the rest of his plans. There were ways he could turn this to his advantage if he was clever.</p>
<p>And Nate always found ways to be clever.</p>
<p>Sophie was moving more slowly this morning, still grumpy about the midnight interruption — Nate was, too, but less for the lost sleep and more because it just made everything more difficult — so he headed to the kitchen on his own. It was too early for Hardison or Parker to be up, since they both lived like night owls given the chance, so Nate was hoping he might get a few minutes to chat with Eliot. It's not like the Hitter slept normally in the first place; with a prisoner chained up, he'd probably forgone his usual hour of sleep entirely.</p>
<p>Nate did <em>not</em> expect to hear chatter behind the kitchen door.</p>
<p>"But how do you do that? Without, you know, taking off a finger?"</p>
<p>"Hold it like this. No, move your thumb up. Try it slowly."</p>
<p>"Cool!"</p>
<p>"Okay, you work on those while I start the meat. Nate, quit skulking around outside the door."</p>
<p>Nate chuckled at being called out and entered.</p>
<p>The makings of breakfast were all over the kitchen counters. A pile of eggs in a bowl stood to one side. Vegetables for omelettes had been recently washed and sat neatly sorted next to the big cutting board. Eliot gave him a single nod as he rose with a thick package of bacon from the fridge, and the look he shot Nate was both greeting and warning.</p>
<p>Somewhere, Eliot and Max had found a pair of matching aprons — both white and red striped, though Max's clearly had a knot tied in the loop to make it not hang halfway down his body, and it covered him well past the knees; Nate was struck again at how small the kid really was. But that wasn't the best part.</p>
<p>Apparently Eliot had donated one of his signature bandanas to Max, too. Eliot's was green this morning; Max's was dark blue. It made the kid look like...like Eliot's kid brother.</p>
<p>And Max, clumsily handling the knife in his hands under Eliot's watchful eye, was <em>smiling.</em></p>
<p>Feeling punched Nate right in the chest.</p>
<p>To push away memories and old grief and a deepening affection for this broken, bruised, resilient kid that surprised even him, Nate headed to the coffee-maker. Which, because Eliot was a god amongst men, had already been started and delivered a perfect cup just in time.</p>
<p>Armed with scalding caffeine, Nate leaned against the counter.</p>
<p>"Need a hand?"</p>
<p>Eliot scoffed. "Not until you've had at least one more cup of that," he said, pointing at his mug with a set of tongs. "You're a menace before you're awake."</p>
<p>Max giggled, then quickly tried to pretend he hadn't and went back to dicing tomatoes.</p>
<p>"Fine. So, anything change in the last...five hours?"</p>
<p>Ah, that was what he'd been waiting for: Max shot a glance to Eliot and visibly swallowed. Eliot gave Max a warning expression in response.</p>
<p>"Let me guess," Nate said. "<em>Somebody</em> decided to pay our unwelcome guest a bit of a visit last night, huh?"</p>
<p>"It's not Eliot's fault," Max said quickly. "He didn't want me to. But...I needed to talk to him."</p>
<p>"You don't need to protect me," Eliot said, and maybe Nate and no one else would catch the level of emotion under the gruffness. "He seems a lot more likely to talk to Max, but what he said was…"</p>
<p>Max nodded. "Yeah."</p>
<p>"That bad?" Nate raised an eyebrow. "Should we be watching out for a platoon here?" He was only partially kidding.</p>
<p>"I mean, it's either he's just one crazy guy or there's more of them, but I'm a lot less worried about agencies," Eliot said. "They're a different kind of fanatical."</p>
<p>Nate was not encouraged. "Fantastic. What are we going to do with him in the meantime?"</p>
<p>Eliot paused setting strips of bacon in the pan and looked up. "What, the great Nate Ford doesn't know what to do with one goon locked in a closet?"</p>
<p>Max giggled again, and Nate was starting to think that teaming these two up had been a bad idea. Max brought out the part of his Hitter that Nate barely tolerated in Hardison. Which was probably good for Eliot, but annoying for him. Eliot shook his head at Max and prodded another tomato in his direction.</p>
<p>Then, sobering, he set his pan aside and met Nate's eyes evenly. "You can't take him to the cops because you'll ruin your cover. And we need more information from him anyway. There's a lot he's not telling us yet. And...honestly, he seems like the kind of person who isn't going to try to press charges against us anyway. So I say we hold onto him for now."</p>
<p>That was actually <em>useful</em> advice, so Nate nodded. This was more Eliot's specialty than his own, and Eliot was no slouch. If the Hitter said to keep him a while, then they would.</p>
<p>However… "So, what <em>exactly</em> did he actually say?"</p>
<p>"Uh, he says he's from another dimension where I'm some kind of magical hero and he came to bring me back because he's supposed to protect me. And that there are supposed to be other people watching out for me and stuff, but there aren't, and this world is all wrong and I don't belong here, but I could have told him that, so.." Max stabbed the nearest vegetable with more force than the spinach really deserved.</p>
<p>Nate tipped his head. "What do you mean you don't belong here?"</p>
<p>"Oh, I mean, I never belonged anywhere before." He met Nate's eyes and, lost in the cracks that spiderwebbed across his soul, there was a light of hope. "But I belong here, right? You all said so."</p>
<p>Nate gulped coffee because his poker face was about to crumble. Eliot snorted and then did Nate a favor by calling Max's attention to his task again.</p>
<p>But he couldn't not answer the question, so, before he sat back to let the strongest man he'd ever known teach a kid to cook with the patience of a saint, he made sure to catch Max's eye.</p>
<p>"You do belong here, Max."</p>
<p>Nate wondered, if they kept him long enough, if Max would always look the way he did right then — happy and content and safe. Like a kid should look.</p>
<p>And at this point, Nate was pretty much resigned, and willing, to find out.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>By the time the rest of the crew had gathered, there were three perfect omelettes, one absolute disaster, one slightly less disastrous version, and a clumsy but acceptable omelette waiting for them, along with a stack of bacon and toast. Hardison pointed to Max's first attempt and started to snark, only to be simultaneously kicked by Nate, poked by Parker, and jabbed by Sophie. Then he ended up eating it and wanting seconds anyway, so if Max's feelings were hurt, they were restored.</p>
<p>(Nate was sure Hardison hadn't meant it at all, hadn't even been thinking, and he was also sure that the only reason Eliot didn't protect the kid with greater violence was that he was on the wrong side of the counter at the time. Nate was deeply amused just watching Eliot hover around Max like a hen with one chick, even if he pretended as hard as he could that he was doing no such thing. But, to be fair, they were all kind of starting to do that.)</p>
<p>After they ate, Max looked up. "Aren't we going to feed Branislav?"</p>
<p>"I'll do it," Parker offered.</p>
<p>"I didn't make him an omelette."</p>
<p>"It's fine," Eliot said. "I'll make him something easier for him to eat while all chained up anyway."</p>
<p>"I'm going to be feeding him, aren't I?" Parker asked with pure glee.</p>
<p>"Don't get too carried away," Nate warned. Parker shrugged and Nate thought Kovac was going to get a whole new kind of punishment with whatever she was thinking. And he didn't really feel like preventing it.</p>
<p>"I could…" Max started.</p>
<p>"No." Eliot's voice was sharp. "Remember our deal."</p>
<p>"Right."</p>
<p>Nate nodded, grateful Eliot had gotten the kid to agree not to deal with Kovac on his own.</p>
<p>"What's the plan today?" Hardison asked.</p>
<p>"First, Eliot, Parker, and Sophie, you feed Kovac and see what other information you can get out of him. Sophie, do whatever you think will work as long as he stays chained up."</p>
<p>"Good cop, bad cop?" Parker asked.</p>
<p>"I was thinking more along the lines of some rudimentary neurolinguistic programming, which you can certainly help encourage by just...being yourself," Sophie said, smiling at Parker. "Every time he does what I ask, he gets a bite."</p>
<p>"Ooh, training the big burly guy like a dog. That's cold," Hardison said.</p>
<p>Max looked uncomfortable, so Nate charged ahead. "In the meantime, Hardison, I need you to get deeper in the police files we already have. We need to identify whoever Bakerson has in his pocket today if possible, or we're going to be short on time for the end of this thing. Get creative if you have to, but get me that name."</p>
<p>"I'm on it."</p>
<p>"What about me?" Max asked.</p>
<p>"I think you had enough of an eventful day yesterday," Nate said. "Today you're going to lay low with Eliot and Sophie."</p>
<p>"But I can — "</p>
<p>"Stay where we can keep an eye on you," Eliot interrupted. "Besides, we need to work on some of your hand-to-hand. Whoever trained you is good, but they were probably closer to Kovac's height than mine. You need to get some practice with moves that fit your actual size."</p>
<p>"Are you calling him short?" Parker asked.</p>
<p>"Pretty sure that was implied, yeah," Max said. "Okay." He made a valiant effort to smile. "I promise not to freak out on you this time."</p>
<p>"It's fine if you do," Nate said. "Don't worry about it. <em>Apparently</em> repressing all your emotions is bad for you." He then dodged a swipe by Sophie and winked at the kid.</p>
<p>"Anyway," Hardison said, "I had another idea if you're okay with it, Max."</p>
<p>"Yeah?"</p>
<p>"I've got, like, every facial recognition database on planet Earth in my system. We could go through it to see if there's anybody linked to Kovac that you recognize. Or anybody else you might know who could have something to do with...all this weirdness."</p>
<p>"Sounds like a plan," Sophie said, still glaring daggers at Nate. "Then let us finish this lovely meal so we can share a vastly less comfortable one with the thug who interrupted my sleep."</p>
<p>Nate flinched at the look in Sophie's eyes. Kovac was about to be <em>very </em>sorry for messing with her.</p>
<p>He glanced at Max.</p>
<p>Maybe Kovac deserved every bit of it and more after all.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>A couple of hours later, Nate was ready to go to the police station as much because it was time for him to dig into his part of the con as because he was ready to get away from everybody and their frustration.</p>
<p>The best Sophie and Parker could say for their interview with Kovac was, first, he was <em>extremely</em> susceptible to Sophie's neurolingustic programming, and, second, he genuinely believed in what he was saying. Almost worryingly so. Now Nate had to make backup plans for cults who believed they were dimensionally displaced, and that was <em>not</em> something he'd been expecting.</p>
<p>On the other side, Hardison had come up with a big blank when it came to finding Branislav Kovac anywhere online. The man just did not exist, not his name, not his picture. Hardison was now starting to look into doomsday cults and other esoteric stuff that might lead back to a commune somewhere so completely off the grid they could evade him. And, of course, that meant there weren't pictures for Max to look at to see if he knew anybody.</p>
<p>Overall, the only person who wasn't particularly annoyed was Eliot, and that was because he was kind of always annoyed in the first place.</p>
<p>Hardison and Parker set off in Lucille with Nate in his rented car so he would still have them in position if needed, and he tried to shake himself back into character.</p>
<p>He'd designed Henry Guster to be a middling agent, not stand-out at anything in particular, but not wholly incompetent, either. Kind of a less memorable version of FBI Agent Todd McSweeten. Originally, he'd made his entrance playing neutral, but dropping enough hints that he could swing to being dirty himself if that would get him in with the right people. However, that tactic was failing miserably, so Nate would have to turn Henry Guster into an antagonist, instead.</p>
<p>Which was always the fun part of the game, but also the most dangerous.</p>
<p>He rolled into the station and made his way to the temporary office he had been reluctantly offered as he investigated the drug connections in town. He greeted almost everyone he saw, keeping his expression light and approachable. He'd learned names as usual and kept his conversations genial, but professional — and waited to see who would take the bait.</p>
<p>With Annie Croy being sent to take him out, he needed a reason to put himself in position for her to do so, and, preferably, he needed to expose whoever was working on the inside here at the same time.</p>
<p>Once sequestered in his office, he picked up his fake cell phone and pretended to make a call so he could talk to Hardison over the earbud without looking weird or suspicious.</p>
<p>"How are we coming on finding our mole?"</p>
<p>"Man, do not start with me on that. First, you send me to find a dude who does not exist and now I gotta root through a hundred of the boys in blue for whoever <em>might</em> be dirty by looking in a bunch of digital sock drawers or something. Keep your damn shirt on."</p>
<p>Nate had forgotten how cranky Hardison got when his all-seeing internet powers failed. He sighed.</p>
<p>"Just...stick with it, okay? I need that info today."</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah. I gotta do all the work and you sit there pretending to look busy and the world is fair."</p>
<p>Nate opted to hang up the cell phone. It didn't actually cut him off, but it was a symbolic gesture and it seemed to help — Hardison began muttering to himself, but at least he appeared to be focusing again. Parker was silent, but sometimes Nate heard the rustles of her checking her equipment and shoving food at Hardison.</p>
<p>Sophie, Eliot, and Max were on comms as well, but the latter two were doing whatever Eliot thought counted as "training," so it was mostly Sophie in his ear rehearsing various one-liners for Annie Croy to use when she took out Henry Guster for Bakerson. Which was vaguely hilarious and totally distracting, though he'd never tell her that. Sophie could improvise like a master on the spot, but sometimes she felt that certain moments deserved forethought, and this led to her practicing in a mirror while repeating phrases over and over again, each with a slightly different nuance. Apparently it was part of the art of a true Grifter, but mostly it reminded Nate of every boy he'd ever known doing the "you lookin' at me?" routine in a mirror.</p>
<p>But the whole crew had learned that they could laugh, as long as they did it privately — Sophie did <em>not</em> take kindly to being mocked about her craft.</p>
<p>She even tolerated their jibes about her acting better, and that was saying something.</p>
<p>Nate saw the figure at his door in time to make sure his face was schooled into an expression of concentration before the knock came.</p>
<p>"Come in!"</p>
<p>Three people entered. Nate knew their names of course, but what was much more interesting was their roles. One was the second-in-command of the Narcotics unit, one was a civilian department secretary, and the last was a crime scene tech. A perfect trio of agents for one drug-selling wyvern to completely stymie the police, now that he thought about it. Especially the secretary, who had access to files, reports, desks, even evidence, and who was effectively invisible in the course of the day.</p>
<p>"What can I do for you?" he asked, aiming for welcoming, but busy.</p>
<p>"We're getting lunch today and wondered if you wanted to join us?" The spokeswoman was Emily Gates from Narcotics, with Sid Morris the crime scene tech and the tiny and unobtrusive secretary Carmen Rodriguez in her wake.</p>
<p>Nate was impressed. They were moving fast. But, then, their boss <em>had</em> just put a hit out on him. Probably these three were here to see if they could learn what he knew and what he'd reported to his superiors before Annie Croy made her move. Either that, or Bakerson wanted a backup; Nate would, if he was the one calling the shots. Or, it wasn't likely, but there was the possibility that these three wanted to preempt Annie Croy and get more favor with Bakerson.</p>
<p>Tricky, but illuminating.</p>
<p>"Lunch sounds great," he said. "Twelve thirty okay?"</p>
<p>"We'll come get you then."</p>
<p>As soon as they'd shut the door, Nate let out a breath. "Hardison?"</p>
<p>"I gotcha, Nate. Think it's all three of them?"</p>
<p>"Maybe. Three would be a lot for somebody like Bakerson, but we can't rule it out. It could be one who is using the other two. See what you can put together."</p>
<p>"It's a lot easier to dig into three people than a hundred. I should have something soon."</p>
<p>"Preferably before lunch," Nate said.</p>
<p>"Do you think they're going to make a move?" Sophie asked.</p>
<p>"No. Not today, anyway. They don't know what I know yet. Tomorrow, though, could get a little more exciting."</p>
<p>"Exciting isn't a good thing, Nate," she said.</p>
<p>"It is when I get to tase somebody," Parker put in.</p>
<p>Nate shut his eyes, stifling a laugh. It was moments like this that reminded him that he had no idea how he'd ever existed without these four people in his life, in his head, at his side.</p>
<p>"A little more than a team" didn't even begin to cover it.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max dropped into a chair, breathing heavily, sweat running down his back.</p>
<p>"This...is the worst," he managed.</p>
<p>"What was that?" Eliot wanted to know.</p>
<p>"Nothing!" Max grabbed for the cup of water Eliot held out and drank it down. "Thanks."</p>
<p>"I know you don't remember who taught you to fight, but if you ever do run into them, let me know. I've got some words for them." Eliot leaned against a nearby wall. "Your instincts for dodging and defense are good, but you still swing like you're built like Kovac when you try to actually fight."</p>
<p>There was something else in Max's fighting style that had Eliot intrigued, but there was no way to point it out without it sounding too strange, so he hadn't bothered. Still, in all his years of fighting or teaching fighting, he'd never, <em>never</em> come across someone who placed so much emphasis on guarding their head and face. Sure, it was vital not to have your vision knocked out, and concussions were bad for everybody, but this went beyond that. It was...well, Eliot didn't know what to make of it, but he was trying to work around it. Every time the kid moved to block, he left his vulnerable belly open just to guard his head.</p>
<p>On the other hand, when he wasn't trying to hit like he was a freight train, the kid was <em>good</em>. He wasn't just quick, he was agile as a gymnast on the ground, and when Eliot really drew his head in the fight and Max was reacting rather than thinking, he actually pulled out some moves that belonged on a floor routine rather than in any standard combat training. Eliot could see now why he had gone for the fire escape as a trapeze swing in the alleyway. Not that it made any sense for a cult or a weird fringe paramilitary organization to teach a kid to fight while also teaching him acrobatics, but none of this made sense in the first place.</p>
<p>Eliot needed to find a time when Max was distracted so he could go question Kovac about it some more.</p>
<p>"Okay," Eliot said, pushing off the wall. "New lesson. What weaponry do you know?"</p>
<p>"Uh, none?" Max shook his head.</p>
<p>"You said you didn't know any fighting either, but look where we are." Eliot folded his arms and waited.</p>
<p>Max shrugged. "Nothing that I know of, then."</p>
<p>"All right. Let's see if that's true."</p>
<p>Max sighed, but got to his feet anyway.</p>
<p>Eliot liked that about the kid. He might grumble, but he had a ridiculous work ethic when he settled into it. His objections were almost artifice compared to the effort he threw into everything Eliot pushed at him. It was admirable, almost noble. He was just so <em>earnest</em> about doing his best and learning everything.</p>
<p>But Eliot also understood that Max was receiving rare attention right now, in a way he probably never had. Someone was giving Max time, care, while also making him feel safe — and all that before you took into account the role the adrenaline and endorphins played in his head. Max could have been climbing with Parker and the result might have been similar.</p>
<p>He was just so...desperate to be a part of something.</p>
<p>Eliot swallowed. He was past being a praying person, but he was still grateful to whatever power had led Max to them. That kind of desperation, plus this raw skill, plus everything else, could have ended very, very differently if Max had fallen in with some other crowd. Not just gangs or organized crime, either; if the people Eliot knew from his previous life had gotten their hands on Max...he didn't even want to think about it.</p>
<p>Unless that's what happened, but Eliot doubted it. Still, it wasn't impossible. He'd have to let Nate know.</p>
<p>"Let's start easy." Eliot led Max to where he'd put some of the cleaning supplies and picked up a cheap broom and mop. One snap later and both were fair-sized poles appropriate for bo fighting. He tossed one to Max.</p>
<p>"Don't think," he told him. "Just react."</p>
<p>Within five minutes, Eliot felt confident that Max had held something like this before, had even used it defensively a bit, but had never been trained in it. That done, he tried the kid on a shorter pole, breaking one in half to something closer to a baseball bat in size, and got the same result. He already knew Max hadn't been trained on knives given how he handled breakfast.</p>
<p>Though Max <em>did</em> show that he adapted quickly, which suggested he was used to picking up whatever came to hand and making it work, which was an entirely different skill set.</p>
<p>"What about guns?" he asked finally.</p>
<p>Max shrugged again. "Still don't know."</p>
<p>"You picked up Kovac's last night when he was pointing it at Nate."</p>
<p>"Yeah, but…" Max swallowed. "It wasn't like I knew what I was doing. I just...I didn't want him to point it at Nate."</p>
<p>"Do you want to learn to shoot?"</p>
<p>"No." Max's face came up and his eyes were hard and certain. "Definitely not."</p>
<p>"Okay. Then I want to show you how to unload a gun. If you never fire one, that's fine, but if somebody has one, I want you to know how to make it useless to them and not dangerous to you."</p>
<p>Eliot actually had four guns handy — Sophie and he were both carrying one as part of the con (unloaded, of course), and Kovac had donated one, and they had found one behind the check-in desk of the B&amp;B. So Eliot sat down with Max and talked him through the basics. He kept at it until the kid could get the clip out of each without looking and knew how to unchamber a loaded bullet.</p>
<p>It was stressful, because they both had to be very, very careful with an actual, loaded gun, but Max trusted Eliot completely and Eliot had Max go slow enough that he could intervene if things went sideways. Still, by the time they finished, the kid was beyond exhausted.</p>
<p>"Come on," Eliot said. "Grab a sandwich and take a nap."</p>
<p>"I don't really sleep."</p>
<p>"Neither do I, but give it a shot. Or do you want to learn to meditate? Sometimes that's as good as sleeping."</p>
<p>"I'm too tired to learn anything else," Max said, and it was only a tiny whine.</p>
<p>Eliot chuckled at him. "Come on, tough guy. I'll show you my secret sandwich recipe."</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>"Virgil, you know I trust you entirely, but I'd still like an <em>explanation</em> for why we're here."</p>
<p>Virgil glanced at Maximus. The Mighty One might have looked a bit pale except it was hidden in the hellish light given off by the magma.</p>
<p>"I know there are no pleasant memories of this place, but I assure you, it is necessary. There is something here which may help us pinpoint the source of the aberrations occuring in the world."</p>
<p>"What could possibly help us in Skull Mountain?"</p>
<p>Virgil sighed. He supposed he could hardly blame the Mighty One. Their time in Skull Mountain thousands of years ago had been short, but very memorable. The Mighty One had intended to sacrifice himself, dragging Skullmaster into the depths of the planet from which he would never escape, and leaving his Cap behind — but Virgil had interfered.</p>
<p>Just because he was not the Mighty One himself, there was no reason Virgil could not use the Cosmic Cap. So he had, and he had followed the Mighty One to Skull Mountain in time to advise him in his battle against the greatest evil ever to threaten the world. It had been a risky decision on Virgil's part — if they had failed, they would have handed Skullmaster the very key to the destruction of the world.</p>
<p>But Virgil had not been willing to give the Mighty One up for dead, and he trusted in destiny to guard them both. So he had taken the risk. And it was fortuitous that he did so, for both he and the Mighty One knew his presence was what tipped the scales just enough to engineer Skullmaster's downfall. Without Virgil, the Cap-Bearer would have failed.</p>
<p>So it was no surprise that the Mighty One was apprehensive here at the site of his near destruction and the forfeit of the world that would have accompanied it.</p>
<p>"We must locate the source of what is changing all that should be foretold," Virgil said. "Skullmaster is long dead, but there are several powerful energies concentrated here, and they may be able to assist us."</p>
<p>"I am <em>not</em> fighting a zombie Skullmaster," the Mighty One said.</p>
<p>"Very amusing." Virgil led the way along the narrow bridge that had once been the only route to the Crystal of Souls. Now, the Crystal was long dead, blackened and shattered by their last trip.</p>
<p>The Mighty One looked all the more uncomfortable with every step they took.</p>
<p>"Now, Might...er, Maximus," he corrected himself, for their bargain was still in effect, "please select one of the larger shards of the Crystal."</p>
<p>"Worse and worse," the Mighty One said under his breath, but he did as he was bade.</p>
<p>"The Crystal itself was powerful before Skullmaster infused it with the souls of Atlantis, particularly in the art of scrying. With your innate gifts, we ought to be able to replicate some of its abilities."</p>
<p>"Is this really the best place to do this?" the Mighty One asked.</p>
<p>"No, you are quite correct. I am sure that the original ruler of this place has long since recovered from his injuries in the battle with Skullmaster, and I would rather not meet him. Let us return to the surface."</p>
<p>The Mighty One fell in beside Virgil silently, and did not in fact say another word until after they had taken the exit portal to the Australian continent. Virgil only gave a momentary thought of gratitude that the battle in the underworld had redirected the flow of lava making the portal more easily accessible — in its original position, their exit would have been far more tricky.</p>
<p>"Now," Virgil said, settling the shard on a nearby flat stone that bore rather the air of an altar, "let us attempt to awaken the lost powers of the Crystal and see if it will guide us to the answers we seek."</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max opened his eyes, surprised that he had actually slept.</p>
<p>"Eliot did just about turn me inside out though," he said to himself as he sat up. He stretched his arms above his head, wincing as his muscles pulled. But it was satisfying, too, somehow.</p>
<p>As Max took stock of his other hurts, he realized that the screaming void inside his chest was quieted for the moment. Not gone, of course, but still. He chose not to dwell on it, just in case that would undo all the progress. But he couldn't help the tiny flare of hope that went with feeling not dead for once.</p>
<p>Maybe...maybe they were right. Maybe now that he was where he belonged, maybe he had a chance to feel things. Maybe...maybe he could live after all.</p>
<p>Max glanced at the clock. It was mid-afternoon; he'd napped longer than he realized. He grabbed his earbud from the bedside table and slipped it in, just to listen. The team appeared to be working hard, dissecting the information Nate had gotten at his lunch out with their three suspects. It was interesting to hear their different perspectives on people, their motives, and the meanings behind their every move.</p>
<p>Then Hardison made a crack about being hungry and wanting Eliot to cook again.</p>
<p>Max decided he very much wanted Eliot to cook again, and to cook with him some more. It was...soothing. Comforting. The rest of his life might be dark and empty and meaningless, but this morning he had made something from nothing, and he had shared it with friends. It helped.</p>
<p>Hardison had gone from joking to openly trying to convince Eliot to make something, a specific dish that sounded Italian. But Eliot was refusing on the grounds of not having enough fresh oregano and he was too busy keeping an eye on Branislav to go out and get it. Sophie offered, since she was still around somewhere, but Nate reminded her that Annie Croy couldn't be spotted.</p>
<p>Max very quietly removed the earbud.</p>
<p>He knew they didn't want him to get hurt, but he wouldn't. He wouldn't have to hide in alleyways, so he wouldn't run into trouble the way he had the last time. He knew there was an actual grocery store just a few blocks away. He could go and come back before anybody knew he was gone, and he could surprise them.</p>
<p>He was fairly sure he would get a talking-to from either Nate or Eliot — or both — but it would be worth it if he could contribute something that simple.</p>
<p>Just in case, though, he stuck his earbud in his pocket.</p>
<p>Getting out of the B&amp;B past Eliot proved pretty simple because Hardison had shown him all the doors and their security, so he just had to pick one that was nowhere near Branislav's closet. And Parker's lessons on locks were paying off, apparently, because he left the B&amp;B withno one the wiser. The day was actually pretty warm for autumn, and the sun was momentarily making an appearance, and Max found himself enjoying the simple walk out in the wind.</p>
<p>He didn't have much cash, but spices were cheap, even the fresh kind. It took him much longer to reach the store than it did to go inside, buy some green plants, pay for them, and head back outside. He was feeling pretty proud of himself, actually.</p>
<p>"Hello there."</p>
<p>Max stopped. He was waiting to cross at a light and it took him a moment to realize someone was speaking to him.</p>
<p>"Uh, hi?"</p>
<p>The person who stepped to his side was definitely not someone Max had ever seen before, but he felt a chill run down his spine regardless. The man was tall and thin, wearing a professional looking coat and an old-fashioned hat. His eyes were dark, but that was all he could tell with the man looking straight ahead rather than turning to face Max.</p>
<p>"You really are quite foolish, you know."</p>
<p>Max swallowed bile. "Sorry?"</p>
<p>"Such powerful friends. Allies willing to protect you. But you make choices that fly in the face of their devotion. It's pitiful, really."</p>
<p>Fear burst in Max's gut. "Who are you?"</p>
<p>"If you continue to be so foolish, there's no telling who may be hurt. Or who may already have been hurt. And it will be your fault, boy. Yours and yours alone."</p>
<p>Max's feet felt rooted to the pavement. He opened his mouth but no words came out.</p>
<p>"Can you not even run away? Let alone defend yourself? I find myself gratified to know you are so entirely pathetic. It will make it far easier to crush you and everyone around you."</p>
<p>Then his dark eyes swiveled and he finally met Max's head on, and Max couldn't breathe.</p>
<p>"Run along, then. You have only yourself to blame."</p>
<p>Max was moving before his brain caught up with him, sprinting down the sidewalk as fast as his legs could carry him. He was a full block away before he remembered the earbud. He didn't dare stop, and he only just managed not to drop it as he shoved it in his ear while in motion.</p>
<p>"Damnit Hardison! How much farther?" he heard Eliot growl.</p>
<p>"You should be almost on top of him!"</p>
<p>"Eliot!" Max gasped at the welcome voice of the Hitter. If he could just reach Eliot, he would be safe. Right?</p>
<p>"Max!" But the voice wasn't just in his ear. A form moving much faster than Max suddenly blurred into his peripheral vision and Max found himself crashing into a stalwart chest. "I got you."</p>
<p>"Get him back to the hotel <em>now</em>," Nate said, and Max couldn't quite tell around his heaving breath and his blood pounding in his ears, but he thought Nate sounded wrong.</p>
<p>"What the <em>hell </em>were you thinking?" Eliot asked even as he got an arm around Max's shoulders and started jogging back the way he had come.</p>
<p>"You left the hotel without telling anybody, and you didn't put the comm in, and we couldn't reach you. I had to trace you, and it's the <em>worst </em>time for that!" Hardison was breathless in his ear.</p>
<p>"All of you calm down," Sophie said, and her voice was like steel. "Just...just bring him back, Eliot."</p>
<p>Eliot grunted in response.</p>
<p>Max wanted to apologize, but he thought this might be more important. "There was somebody…" he started.</p>
<p>Eliot's eyes fixed on him. "Did they touch you? Are you hurt?"</p>
<p>"No."</p>
<p>Eliot nodded and picked up the pace. "You ran. It was the right call. But never, I mean <em>never</em> just leave like that again. You hear me?"</p>
<p>"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."</p>
<p>"It's fine," Nate said, and he was definitely strained. "It's just...something we need to talk about. Okay? Stay with Eliot. We're almost there."</p>
<p>Max worked on getting his breath back, glad to lean against Eliot and know he was safe. That he didn't have to watch out for strangers in long coats with cryptic threats because Eliot would watch for him. And when they reached the bed and breakfast and Eliot slammed the lock home behind them, he relaxed even further. Now he was guarded by Eliot and doors with locks and Hardison's security and the fake aliases Hardison had put around them all. And Parker and her taser, and Sophie and her powers of reading people and convincing them, and Nate and his brain. He was safe here with them.</p>
<p>Sophie stepped into the hallway a moment later. She looked composed, but it was wrong somehow.</p>
<p>"They just arrived," she said.</p>
<p>Eliot nodded. He put a hand on Max's shoulder, not just resting, but gripping firmly. Max almost told him he wouldn't run out on whatever lecture they had planned, or if they were going to punish him, but the stony look on Eliot's face silenced him.</p>
<p>They found the others not in the kitchen-dining area they had used for meals, nor the conference room they used for the con. Instead, Nate, Hardison, and Parker were arranged on some couches in a lounge off to one side.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," Max blurted out as he sank onto a couch across from Nate and felt the others close in around him. "I just wanted to help. That's all. I didn't…"</p>
<p>"Max." Nate's voice cut through his bubbling anxiety. He reached out to grip Max's hand. "Don't worry about that right now."</p>
<p>Nate drew in a deep breath, momentarily breaking eye contact with Max to glance at all the others around him. When he settled his eyes back on Max's, something in them filled him with fear.</p>
<p>"Max, it's not...this isn't what...none of us expected anything like this. Hardison's been monitoring your school and everything, just in case. He picked up a call. The police were trying to locate you."</p>
<p>"Why?" He whispered it, because his voice didn't want to work and he didn't know why.</p>
<p>Nate squeezed his hand.</p>
<p>"Because they need to make a notification. Max, your mom is dead."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Everything is Temporary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ha! I'm not late two weeks in a row! It feels like victory.</p>
<p>Now, back onto angsting the absolute stuffing out of poor Max. But that's nothing new around these parts.</p>
<p>Thanks, all, for sticking with me. It's helped in the last few weeks more than you know.</p>
<p>The theme for this week's chapter is "Permanent" by David Cook.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nate's throat burned as he watched grief slam into the blue eyes before him. His own heart flashed to the loss of Sam, of his own screaming denial. Of the riot of pain and anger that had driven him beyond sanity.</p>
<p>Max didn't respond that way.</p>
<p>Before Nate's eyes, the despair in Max rose up and engulfed him. Silently, like a sinkhole, his soul fell away and every spark in him died. The grief swallowed him, suffocating him under layers of thick emptiness.</p>
<p>Nate would not have been surprised if the kid's eyes had closed and the last breath of life had left him right then and there. As if the sudden onslaught of pain could kill.</p>
<p>And as quickly as he realized as much, Nate's own grief rose up, furious and selfish. He had lost so much already — he would not let Max be lost, too.</p>
<p>Nate surged across the margin of space between them and grabbed the kid, crushing him to his shoulder and holding on hard enough to hurt.</p>
<p>The touch seemed to wake Max out of that deathly silence, and instead a flood of tears burst forth. Max's mouth was open and pressed to Nate's suit. He could feel the edge of teeth scraping against him as the kid screamed more than sobbed, every sound wild and agonized. Max's hands curled into fists and pulled hard enough to rip seams and tear fabric, and now and again one pulled away only to slam into Nate's chest as if he could pound out the pain that way.</p>
<p>Nate noticed Eliot moving to intercept and shook his head ever so slightly. He didn't care if the kid gave him a few bruises as long as it kept him breathing.</p>
<p>Time lost all meaning as Nate held onto Max, rocked him through his pain, accepted the slam of a hand raging with loss or a forehead beyond reason against his collarbone. Eventually he noticed that Eliot was perched beside him, and that one of Max's arms had snaked out of Nate's hold to cling to the Hitter. Sophie was on Nate's other side, a hand pressed against Max's back even as his tears ran down.</p>
<p>Across from them, Hardison had his arms around Parker and even Nate couldn't tell who needed the contact more. Parker's eyes were wet though her face was dry and pale; Hardison had tears on his cheeks and his chin was wobbling as he frantically ran a hand through Parker's hair.</p>
<p>They'd all experienced loss, Nate realized, even if they hadn't all known it directly. Parker had lost her brother, he remembered, and Eliot had lost so many (and killed so many). But it wasn't just their own pains coming back to haunt them. Max's grief was so raw, so profound, it was enough to drown them all.</p>
<p>Beside him, Sophie moved to get an arm around him, as if she could hold Nate while still holding Max. And Eliot shifted closer, a hand on Max's hair and his shoulder jamming into Nate's side — another point of contact holding him up.</p>
<p>And Nate knew then that they could not possibly let this boy go.</p>
<p>He had relatives, Nate remembered from Hardison's search when they first met Max. Some kind of cousin of his mom's — boring people with a kid of their own who lived average lives a few cities away. He'd seen a picture of them, and that was enough for Nate to dismiss them entirely. They looked like the kind of people he imitated when he was being Jimmy Papadokalis. Obnoxious and self-centered and smug about it.</p>
<p>No. If Max needed someone, then Nate would be that someone. Nate and Sophie and Eliot and Hardison and Parker. Never someone who didn't, who <em>couldn't</em> understand. Never someone who would look down their nose and see Max as a burden.</p>
<p>There would be a lot to do. They'd have to pose as Max's next of kin for all the official business, making certain that any and all documents tied back to them so there would be no issue of custody. They'd have to deal with the arrangements and the house and all the other myriad tasks that cleaned up a person's bureaucratic existence. They'd have to talk about moving, see if Max wanted to come out to Boston or if they should relocate someplace else with him.</p>
<p>The con had ceased to matter — Nate shelved it with ease and without regret. Sure, one more bad guy would get away with his crimes for now, but the kid came first. They could always collect their evidence and turn it over to the FBI through Parker and Hardison's aliases. Less guarantee of an arrest and conviction, but at least something would be done. Honestly, it was hard for Nate to care right now.</p>
<p>The child hiccuping in his arms, the boy who was pretty close to how old Sam would have been now, his life mattered more to Nate than the faceless victims of someone like Bakerson.</p>
<p>But that would have to come a little later. First, they had to finish surviving this moment.</p>
<p>The violence of Max's grief was letting up, not because he felt better, but because he had run out of the energy to feel. The screaming had turned into heaving, choking breaths — Eliot had started counting out a cadence to keep the kid from hyperventilating. The tension in his body was giving way, and he was more slumped across Nate's lap than clinging to him. Sophie kept up her gentle rubbing on his back, voicing soft encouragement when he managed to breathe along with Eliot. Parker and Hardison were separating, and Hardison had picked up a box of tissues while Parker was reaching for an abandoned bottle of water.</p>
<p>It was the worst moment of Max's life, and Nate still managed to be momentarily distracted because he'd never loved his team more than he did right then.</p>
<p>Max was starting to go boneless now, his body slipping into unconsciousness as a defense against both exhaustion and grief. Eliot glanced up at Nate and gave a nod, so Nate let the kid fall, dazed if not asleep, against him.</p>
<p>"What now?" Hardison whispered even as he handed tissues out to the others.</p>
<p>"Nate," Eliot rumbled beside him, and Nate understood everything he was asking.</p>
<p>"We're not letting him go," he said, and he said it loud enough to wake the boy if he wanted to hear it. But Max didn't even flinch, wrung out and spent, limp but still shaking in Nate's arms.</p>
<p>"We'll have to make all the arrangements," Sophie said. "Paperwork, transfer of property."</p>
<p>"Good thing you've died before," Parker said. "Practice for the real thing."</p>
<p>And Nate knew she was trying to joke, and that she was also being genuine, and honestly she wasn't wrong, either.</p>
<p>"What about his real family?" Hardison asked. And even he sounded dubious about it.</p>
<p>"No." And that was Parker, suddenly fierce. "Not them. They...they won't…"</p>
<p>"Hardison," Nate said suddenly. "How hard would it be to alter Max's birth records?"</p>
<p>Sophie's eyes widened, but Eliot was nodding. "That's the simplest, if you really wanna go that route."</p>
<p>"Alter them how?" Hardison asked.</p>
<p>Nate looked up at the Hacker and didn't flinch. "Add me as his father. Then no cousins would have any claim on him."</p>
<p>"What about DNA?" Sophie wanted to know.</p>
<p>"I'll spoof it," Hardison said. "Easy enough to pull off if they even test it. But if Nate's on the paperwork already, they won't unless those cousins fight it."</p>
<p>"They won't." That was Parker. She shook her head, lips pinched together. "You saw them. They won't."</p>
<p>"Nate." Sophie touched his cheek. "Nate, are you <em>sure</em>? If you do this...you cannot undo it later. Even if Hardison could change the paperwork again, for Max…"</p>
<p>"I'm sure." And he was. He didn't even know why. But then, everything that had ever mattered in his life had only made sense afterwards anyway. "It has to be me, or Eliot. And Eliot's not old enough."</p>
<p>And that was true — Sophie could pose as another aunt or something, but the simplest answer was to fill in the big blank in the kid's life with himself. That led to the fewest possible complications and the quickest resolution. A dad largely out of the picture, paying no child support, but willing to take the sudden orphan was going to be more governmentally appealing than cousins who probably wouldn't even show interest. And, of course, they could always make Nate's connection to Max look better if they needed to. But he didn't expect it to be required — the social services system was overworked anyway. They would jump on a nice, neat solution as long as it checked all the boxes. One more kid safely in a home, one less problem.</p>
<p>Even so, there was a part of him that was screaming. He'd known the kid for literally two days. How could he be sure these strange feelings were real, that they would last? How could he be sure that he and the others were truly what was best for Max?</p>
<p>But he knew. They were best for Max because no one else was. It was as simple as that.</p>
<p>He felt a nudge.</p>
<p>Nate looked up and met Eliot's expression calmly. There was warning there, and a threat, and a promise. And Nate huffed a laugh and dipped his head.</p>
<p>Message understood — if Nate did badly by the kid, Eliot would pound him into the ground. And then probably take over as Max's guardian himself. Because Eliot had the same certainty Nate had, with even fewer reservations. Eliot was already part of the team so deep he'd never shake them loose. He would kill or die or live for the team for the rest of his life. Adding one more was always going to come easier to him.</p>
<p>But Eliot wanted to define his own relationship with Max, just as he had with Hardison and Parker and Sophie and Nate. He would do it on his terms and in his own time. And time was the one thing they didn't have to spare.</p>
<p>Still, having Eliot as a safety net, once again, gave Nate the courage and confidence to proceed.</p>
<p>And the very first thing he had to do, as much as he didn't want to, was wake Max up fully.</p>
<p>"Max." He leaned his face close to the tear-chapped cheek. "I know, I <em>know</em>, but I need you to hear this. Then you can rest again."</p>
<p>The kid stirred, then pushed up suddenly, and he would have tipped himself right off Nate's lap except Eliot's reflexes were sharp and he caught the kid. In a move that looked like he had practiced it — and maybe he had, who knew with Eliot anyway? — he caught the flailing Max, righted him, and pulled him so he was sitting on the couch pressed tightly between Eliot and Nate, Eliot's arm across his shoulders as an anchor.</p>
<p>Max blinked, still trying to reorient himself. Before he succeeded, Parker shoved a bottle of water into his hands, already open, and basically dumped it into his mouth. Max spluttered, but managed not to choke while drinking. Just as quickly, she yanked it away and replaced it with a handful of Hardison's tissues.</p>
<p>Max wiped at his face, his breathing hitching and it wasn't entirely because of the near-drowning. Parker waited until he was finished with the tissues before she backed away, leaving room for Eliot, Nate, and Sophie to lean around him.</p>
<p>"I know you don't have the energy for this, but I have to ask," Nate began. "Because I can't...I won't do this without your consent, Max."</p>
<p>Max's face was blotchy, and Nate could see the howl crawling up his throat.</p>
<p>But Eliot shifted against the kid, breathing deliberately. "Steady. You can do this," he said softly.</p>
<p>Somehow, Max obeyed.</p>
<p>"We can take care of everything," Sophie said, gentle but firm. "The arrangements, the school, the police. Don't worry about that."</p>
<p>"But to keep you safe, a decision has to be made. A long-term decision." Nate met Max's eyes and didn't look away. "We know your mom had a cousin. They're your next of kin. If you want them."</p>
<p>The flinch in Max's response was enough to shake the couch cushion he sat on.</p>
<p>"Okay," Nate said. He lowered his voice. "Max...I know the only thing you really want is your mom and I'm <em>sorry.</em> <em>God</em> I'm so sorry. But we don't...Max, we want you to know that you can stay with us. You can...we can get custody. But only if you want us to." He took a deep breath. "If you want <em>me</em> to."</p>
<p>Nate could see the expressions chasing each other across his face. Grief, disbelief, uncertainty, and then a tiny sliver of hope. Max looked from Sophie to Hardison to Parker to Eliot, landing finally on Nate.</p>
<p>"I…" he started, and his voice croaked. "I...I don't...I'm not…"</p>
<p>"We want you, Max," Nate said. "All of us. We...we didn't want it like this. But someone has to be on paper for you now. And if not us, then it's those cousins. And…" He didn't want to say how much he didn't like that idea.</p>
<p>"Max," Eliot said, as soft as Nate had ever heard the Hitter. "You can always change your mind. But if it's us, if it's Nate, then you'll get the choice. If it's those cousins, or the foster system, you won't. This will make it easier. To protect you."</p>
<p>Nate didn't want to shake his head at Eliot because Max might misread it, but he knew Eliot felt him thinking it anyway. Even now the Hitter didn't want to verbalize something so close to his heart. He was <em>so much worse</em> at this than Nate. It would have been funny if funny was possible right now.</p>
<p>"We care about you," Sophie said, and Nate was glad somebody could say the words the kid probably needed to hear. "It's all right if you're not sure of yourself right now. But we care about you and we want to make sure you're cared for in return. We don't want you to have to rely on someone you don't trust or doesn't make you feel wanted."</p>
<p>"We were both foster kids," Hardison put in, gesturing to himself and Parker. "And the system can be okay — it was for me. It gave me Nana who became my foster mom. But not everybody gets lucky."</p>
<p>"I didn't," Parker whispered. She leaned down and got into Max's space, staring at him as if she could see through him. "I don't want you in the system. I don't want you to go through what I did. I know we're weird and we're not your family, but at least we're <em>safe.</em>"</p>
<p>Max stared at her, then nodded slowly. He turned to look up at Nate.</p>
<p>"You...you're sure about this?"</p>
<p>"I'm sure."</p>
<p>"I think…" and tears rose and fell as he forced out every word, "I think mom...would've liked you. I think...she'd be glad I have you." He buried his face in his hands as his shoulders shook. "Okay," he managed. "Okay."</p>
<p>"Hardison," Nate said.</p>
<p>"I'll get started right now." And Hardison pulled up a tablet. Nate knew he wouldn't have to check in, wouldn't have to induce his Hacker to get this done as quickly as possible. Hardison, he knew, would work like a man possessed until there was nothing anyone could ever dig up, anywhere, ever, that would rip Max from them.</p>
<p>And if anybody tried anyway, well, considering Parker and Eliot even besides himself and Sophie, he would pity them. Except that anyone wanting to hurt Max was going to have to go through them all now, and they deserved whatever they got for trying.</p>
<p>But that was for another day.</p>
<p>As Max slipped back into crying, though in a probably healthier manner, Nate took charge.</p>
<p>"Okay. Sophie, call the school as his aunt. Get them off his case so we can deal with the authorities. We need to keep the police out of this since there's no telling who they'll send and whether or not they've seen me already. Social services won't be a problem after Hardison is done, but we'll need to confirm to them that we've already taken custody. Parker, Hardison will need the copy of Max's birth certificate on file with the county. Eliot, you and I will stay here for now."</p>
<p>Eliot nodded, understanding. Right now, Eliot was probably closest to the kid, with Nate a near second. They would be Max's primary support pillars for a while until the worst of the initial shock wore off.</p>
<p>But Max shuddered and uncovered his face, the ruins of his emotions on display. "What...what about me?"</p>
<p>"Oh, Max." Nate crushed the kid against him, aware but not caring that he was — maybe even intentionally — pulling Eliot along with Max into a fierce hug.</p>
<p>Max made a noise of surprise, then surrendered and let himself be held.</p>
<p>"All you need to do right now is cry. We'll take care of the rest for you."</p>
<p>"We'll take care of <em>you</em>," Eliot echoed.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>When he finally admitted it to himself, Norman realized he felt a little guilty. It wasn't that he'd known the kid well — nobody really knew Max outside of his poor attitude and spotty attendance — but he had been one of the teachers who got farther with the boy than most. He'd been relieved when the kid and his mom were going to be heading off together. But for a day or so later to learn that his mom had died? That was rough.</p>
<p>Also, it seemed weird. The timing didn't quite line up. The last he'd heard, the kid and his mom were leaving to go abroad because her father was dead. Now <em>she</em> was dead abroad somewhere. It made the suspicious part of him wake up and take notice.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Norman had seen enough tragedy in his life that he knew perfectly well bad things had a way of happening right on top of one another. While it was <em>unlikely</em> for her to have been killed possibly within hours of arriving, it certainly wasn't impossible. Micronesia wasn't as dangerous as a warzone, but there were plenty of things that could go wrong on an island far away from more advanced medical assistance. To say nothing about the critters and parasites that lived there, or the diseases that could crop up. Norman had seen enough of all of those to last a lifetime long ago and didn't really expect much to have changed even into recent times.</p>
<p>The school memo hadn't given a cause of death for Max's only parent, or even a definitive date and time it had happened — just a notice to all teachers that such had happened. But they hadn't seemed too concerned that the stories didn't exactly fit together, so maybe they knew more than he did. After all, it wasn't like the police had contacted Max's gym teacher.</p>
<p>Still, he was feeling a little guilty. He'd been the last adult at the school to see Max, and now the kid was on his own, probably still somewhere in a foreign country. That was a lot for anybody to handle, especially a kid who didn't seem to cope that well with life in the first place.</p>
<p>That must be the reason Norman was doing this.</p>
<p>The advantage of ten thousand years of life was the unprecedented opportunity to learn a variety of skills. He'd wasted a lot of time — he was <em>still</em> bitter he'd missed his chance to learn to make Damascus steel — but in the last few hundred years or so had taken the opportunity to pick up the odd bit of knowledge here or there when he wasn't fighting in whichever war was happening at the time. He'd never be a brilliant woodworker, for example, but he had carved a thing here or there between other tasks. And while he'd ignored the entire development of modern medicine because it changed too quickly for him to bother, he <em>had</em> kept up on some other technologies, especially lately.</p>
<p>Not that Norman knew the difference between one computing language and another — but he <em>did</em> know how to log into the school machines as an admin after one of the tech teachers reset his password that one time. And thus Norman found himself in the main office in the middle of the night, bypassing the rudimentary computer security, and actual security, to look up Max's records.</p>
<p>He wasn't expecting to find anything specific about the notification the police had made and there wasn't much, but that was okay — really, all he'd wanted was the kid's contact information. An email address if he could get it, or a phone number, and his home address. At least then he could reach out and tell the kid he was sorry.</p>
<p>Norman had lost his only parent around the same age. He remembered the pain. There wasn't much else he could do for Max, but he could offer his condolences. That would count for something, right?</p>
<p>Max's records were stark on the lit screen in the darkened office. The count of days absent flashed in red, as did the many flagged comments from teachers about poor work and bad attitude. There was so much more of it than Norman had expected and he found himself frowning. Sure the kid had problems, but this seemed like a lot of unhelpful censure and negativity from his teachers. Was everyone really so unsympathetic?</p>
<p>Norman shook his head. Maybe he'd been at this school too long if he was ignoring this kind of behavior all around him. Any time his awareness of others' actions started to slip, it meant it was time for him to move on and find another place. Even if it meant leaving kids behind, he couldn't be less than sharp, less than aware. Staying anywhere too long made him soft.</p>
<p>But first, he'd at least make sure Max had someone to take care of him. Apparently nobody else was going to.</p>
<p>He sussed out the kid's address — the only phone number and email address on file was for his mom, and Norman didn't want to think about the kid having to answer his mom's cell phone. But surely the kid would be brought back to the country in a few days, so he could drop in on him then.</p>
<p>And then he would go find another school, maybe, or even a proper training gym somewhere new. There were kids all over the world — he couldn't give up too much time to any one of them, or he'd miss out on helping the rest.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Bran looked up, blinking at the sudden light in the closet just as the door swung open.</p>
<p>"I was starting to think I would receive no more food," he said, trying to keep his voice light. It had been many hours since breakfast, after all.</p>
<p>But the man who slammed into the closet was much different from the cool warrior who had been present previously. Then, the man was aloof, highly competent and on guard, but with his feelings under tight control except when it came to the Mighty One's safety. And then, he had been properly fierce and protective. If Bran weren't bothered by this entire situation, he'd have been pleased to know his boy had found another willing to watch over him.</p>
<p>Now, the man's face was tight, his jaw almost cracking, and his movements belied a deep agitation.</p>
<p>Bran was instantly on alert. "What has happened?"</p>
<p>"None of your business," the other growled out.</p>
<p>Bran remembered that the Mighty One had called him Eliot. "If it involves the boy, it <em>is</em> my business. Keep me chained for now if you must but I have to know. Is he hurt?"</p>
<p>Eliot flinched.</p>
<p>Bran swallowed. "Eliot." He used the name respectfully, like a title. "You do not have to trust me. But let me help. If he has been hurt, or taken, I will burn the city to the ground to save him. Believe that."</p>
<p>Bran met the piercing gaze head-on, allowing Eliot to read him. He did not intend to contest for dominance, not now, but he needed this man to give him information. He would have made an unbreakable bargain again, even knowing how poorly that had ended once before, for the same reasons he had done so. Because the Mighty One must come first in all things.</p>
<p>Swallowing his pride, Bran allowed himself to beg. "Please. Please tell me what has happened to Max."</p>
<p>Eliot finally gave a sharp nod. "Only because you'll hear it if you're here any longer. But if you use this against him, if you make this into one of your head games, Kovac, I will kill you and they will never find your body. We clear?"</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>"His mom is dead."</p>
<p>Bran rocked back where he sat. "His mother? What of his father?"</p>
<p>Eliot's eyes narrowed. "You don't already know?"</p>
<p>"He never mentioned him to me, no."</p>
<p>"We're handling it. The kid is staying with us now, no matter who comes for him." Eliot's eyes blazed. "Got that? Your shot at using him again is <em>over</em>. That kid comes with us and we will protect him better than you can handle."</p>
<p>Bran would have disputed that, but it wasn't the time. "He's alone? No other guardians or parents but you?"</p>
<p>Eliot raised one shoulder.</p>
<p>He gulped, feeling more keenly than ever the gaping hole in his heart where the Mighty One's pain should be. As much as he hated knowing the boy was suffering, now he would have welcomed it. At least if he <em>knew,</em> he could do something about it.</p>
<p>"Let me go. I won't leave. Just...let me help care for him. You can watch me. I won't even speak to him if you wish. But let me be there. He...he shouldn't be alone."</p>
<p>"He's <em>not</em> alone," Eliot snapped. He crossed his arms over his chest. "And we're not trusting you any time soon, Kovac. For all we know, this is your outfit trying to get at him again. Anyone who would program a kid for combat would be more than willing to assassinate a civilian."</p>
<p>Bran felt his stomach turn. "No. I know you think this, but...no. Disbelieve me as you wish, but know I would never, <em>never</em>…" But he had to stop because he felt the lie curling in his gut.</p>
<p>In his right mind, as he was now, no. But back where he and the Mighty One belonged, back where Locknarr crawled in his thoughts and poisoned his soul...would he harm the Mighty One's mother to get at him? Yes, he was ashamed to admit it to himself, but yes. As he had tried to kill Norman and torture Virgil. He would do the same to her.</p>
<p>"Let me guess." Eliot's voice was low, but not aggressive. "You wouldn't now, but you have in the past. You've been a monster."</p>
<p>Bran let his head hang. "Yes."</p>
<p>"Hmm. Takes one to know one."</p>
<p>That drew Bran's eyes back up. Eliot looked at him with a granite and ice expression, and yet Bran felt that perhaps this man understood him better than he understood himself.</p>
<p>"Not going to trust you any time soon, Kovac. But I'm starting to get an idea about where you come from." Then he made a half smile that was not at all friendly. "Not sure if that's a good thing, though."</p>
<p>"If you cannot let me see the boy, just...promise me. Promise me he'll be safe with you."</p>
<p>Eliot nodded.</p>
<p>"Send that woman back if you want. She's...perceptive. Test me any way you wish. Take whatever time you need. But know that the only thing I cannot, could never lie about is my devotion to the boy. In the end, you will see. I want nothing more than to keep him from harm for all my days."</p>
<p>Eliot gave no response, and Bran felt suddenly a lurch of cold. What if they left, if they took the Mighty One away somewhere? How would he find them? How would he get to them?</p>
<p>He <em>must</em> earn their trust before that happened.</p>
<p>Belatedly, he realized that Eliot had brought him a plate of food — bite-sized morsels of meatballs and vegetables. Also, Eliot showed absolutely no interest in feeding him as the blonde girl had earlier.</p>
<p>Bran accepted defeat and leaned to where Eliot had set the plate on the ground. He had to bend almost double, his forehead near the floor, to get one off the plate and into his mouth with his hands chained behind him. It was humiliating and painful, and not only on his muscles growing stiff.</p>
<p>But if this victory would win him even the slightest goodwill from one of his captors, he would take it. Whatever was necessary, whatever indignity, he would endure.</p>
<p>After all, he knew, the Mighty One's suffering right now was far worse.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>"Are you sure this is the place?"</p>
<p>Virgil rolled his eyes at Maximus. "While my calculations may be under the undue influence of some force, I assure you my ability to correlate the evidence from the shard of the Crystal of Souls with this geographic location is unimpeded."</p>
<p>Maximus gestured to the extremely normal apartment complex before them. "But...here?"</p>
<p>"The Crystal made it clear. This is where we will find someone older than you, though certainly not as old as I. His presence is critical for balancing the powers of good to aid us in tracking the current threat to the world."</p>
<p>"Very well. Lead on, then."</p>
<p>Virgil moved to a sliding door of a ground-floor unit. Since the building was secured, this was the only point of access. Drawing himself up, he tapped on the glass.</p>
<p>Maximus was tensed for a fight, and grew even more uncomfortable at the looming shadow behind the curtain. A moment later, the curtain moved aside revealing someone bigger even than he, wearing sweatpants and an old t-shirt. And yet, Maximus could feel the years in the man, the same way he felt them in Virgil or Beowulf.</p>
<p>"Greetings," Virgil said as the man opened his door. "We have never met, but I have followed your exploits for many thousands of years. What name do you currently use?"</p>
<p>"Norman," he replied. Then he peered down. "Are you a chicken?"</p>
<p>"Lemurian fowl, actually," Virgil answered, and Maximus didn't quite smile.</p>
<p>"Haven't heard that name in a long time," Norman said. Then he jutted his chin at Maximus. "Who's this?"</p>
<p>"I'm the Mighty One," Maximus said. "You might have heard of me."</p>
<p>"You killed Skullmaster." Norman nodded. "Nice."</p>
<p>"We apologize for troubling you so early," Virgil said, gesturing to the fact that the sun was only barely beginning to rise. "But something urgent has arisen that involves the safety of the very world."</p>
<p>"Not really my game," Norman said. "Have you thought about recruiting Beowulf or Jonayayin? I'm sure they're bored."</p>
<p>"Unfortunately it must be you," Virgil said. "My calculations are certain of it. Something about you is key to this matter."</p>
<p>"Well, make it fast. I've got school this morning."</p>
<p>"Using an ancient Lemurian scrying technique, we were able to identify yourself and another hazy figure connected to a great power which threatens to reveal the presence of, well, everything hidden to the world once more."</p>
<p>Now Norman frowned. "It's been centuries since there was any kind of proof of magic. Why now?"</p>
<p>"I do not know, but if you can help us locate the final person we have seen, we may be able to prevent it. I don't need to tell you what happens when humanity learns that magic and demons and gods are real."</p>
<p>Maximus shuddered and even Norman twitched. Those dark days had been terrible indeed. Thank all the gods for the Enlightenment. That had turned the tide on human belief for the better, allowing Virgil and Maximus to work unimpeded to keep the rest of the world from having to face the monsters under their beds.</p>
<p>"Fine. I'll help if I can, but I'm not missing my classes. And you better make it fast. In a few days, I'll be moving on from here."</p>
<p>Virgil's eyebrows went up. "Is something the matter?"</p>
<p>"No. I've just been here too long."</p>
<p>"Ah, I see. Well, hopefully we can resolve this matter swiftly. We are looking for a child."</p>
<p>Norman's face went flat and unamused. "What."</p>
<p>"He may be inadvertently drawing forth an evil great enough to unbalance the forces we have long kept at bay. Or perhaps it is intentional. Either way, we must find him and stop him."</p>
<p>"Great. Well, what kid?"</p>
<p>"We don't know," Maximus put in. "He's got blond hair and blue eyes."</p>
<p>"How old?"</p>
<p>"Approximately...actually, it's difficult to say." Virgil coughed delicately. "He could be twelve or thirteen, or he could be closer to sixteen."</p>
<p>"That literally describes half the boys in my school."</p>
<p>"Any chance you've noticed any of them being evil?" Maximus decided to ask.</p>
<p>Norman glared at him. "No."</p>
<p>"Ah, well, then we must do this the scientific way. Norman, you must procure a pass for us to enter your school so we may investigate your students. We must match the face we have seen in the Crystal as quickly as possible."</p>
<p>"Yeah, that's not happening," Norman said. "Besides breaking a bunch of rules, getting you passes so you can stare at students is creepy. Can you show me the picture?"</p>
<p>"It's not a picture," Virgil said, annoyed. "It's an image in a shard of the Crystal of Souls that can only be summoned using a great deal of power."</p>
<p>"Then summon it again."</p>
<p>"It will take a few days to do so."</p>
<p>"Well, guess I'll see you in a few days," Norman said, and moved to shut his door.</p>
<p>"Wait." Maximus held out a hand. "We know you know the boy. We saw you together in the Crystal. Are you sure you don't know anyone who could be sensitive to unearthly powers in any way?"</p>
<p>"No. All the kids I teach are normal kids with normal kid problems. Which is a good thing."</p>
<p>"The boy seemed distressed," Virgil added. "Are any of those who match the description in some sort of trouble? Perhaps he is being used against his will."</p>
<p>Maximus wouldn't have spotted it except he was entirely fixed on Norman — the man flinched.</p>
<p>"You <em>do </em>know him," Maximus accused.</p>
<p>"I know a kid with too much on his plate," Norman said, "but even <em>if </em>he's the one you want, you'll have to wait. He left school and won't be back. I was hoping to catch him at home sometime in the next few days."</p>
<p>"Take us to him at once," Virgil said.</p>
<p>Norman growled. "No. It's dawn, I have school, and the kid just became an orphan. Your <em>world saving</em> can at least wait until we're sure he's the right one before you go ruining his life again."</p>
<p>Virgil actually rocked back.</p>
<p>"Virgil?" Maximus asked, concerned.</p>
<p>"It's nothing." It wasn't, but apparently Virgil didn't want to discuss it. He shook himself, then regained his composure. "Very well. We will return as soon as we can re-gather the power to use the Crystal shard again. In the meantime, if you do see the boy, ensure you keep an eye on him. If he summons evil into the world while we are waiting on account of your sympathies, you will be the one responsible for the havoc he creates."</p>
<p>"Fine." And Norman shut the door and closed the curtain.</p>
<p>"Well," Maximus said, biting back a sigh, "that could have gone worse."</p>
<p>"I suppose."</p>
<p>"Virgil." They started to walk away, but Maximus didn't like how Virgil wasn't meeting his eyes. "What's really wrong?"</p>
<p>"It's probably of no concern."</p>
<p>"You never are, Virgil."</p>
<p>That won him a small smile. "Then...let us just say that I have a bad feeling about this boy Norman spoke about."</p>
<p>"You think he's behind it?"</p>
<p>"I think...he may be a far greater threat than we fear." Virgil let out a breath. "Be ready, Maximus. It has been a long time, but as the Mighty One, you are charged to defend the world against any threat, no matter how innocent it seems."</p>
<p>He felt cold, but nodded. "You can count on me, Virgil. I'll do what I have to, if it will keep this world the way it should be."</p>
<p>Of the countless vows he had ever made to Virgil, Maximus meant this more than them all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Tears on a River</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's a little late, but I made it. If you follow me on Twitter you'll know I've been underneath a stubborn, sleeping cat for literal hours. Can't post from a laptop with no lap.</p>
<p>If you don't follow me on Twitter, you can! I'm Mendeia there, just like here.</p>
<p>The song for the chapter is "Blue on Black" by Five Finger Death Punch (yes, it's a cover, but it's *better* than the original).</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Well, Mister Ford, it's a little unusual."</p>
<p>Sophie didn't bite her lip because she didn't want to give away anything, but she was torn between bristling and worry. As Nate's girlfriend, she was here for emotional support — another truth that didn't have to be a lie — for both Nate and Max. But it also meant she had no grounds to object to the proceedings.</p>
<p>She wanted to, though. Max deserved more kindness than this.</p>
<p>The social worker seemed like a nice enough man, but he was clearly so overworked that he had lost the ability to summon up more than the most casual emotions in the face of his clients. Max sat, pale and still, swallowed up in the faux-leather chair that had seen better days. He wasn't crying, and Sophie could only admire that much courage in him. And she knew he was barely listening to the social worker — instead, his focus was trained on the three reassuring voices coming through to him over the comms.</p>
<p>Well, Parker was talking about unhelpful things like getting into the social worker's house and stealing everything he treasured, so make that two-and-a-half reassuring voices.</p>
<p>Hardison was able to give Max details that played into all the changes he had made over the last few days in every record he could hack or Parker could steal, which meant the boy didn't have to try to remember the story perfectly. Eliot was present, not the usual silent weight hanging in the background, but actively making an effort to speak up to remind the kid that he was there, too. She would never tell him so, but Eliot was adorable like this. He reminded her of a pit bull standing guard over a rain-soaked kitten.</p>
<p>"It was an indiscretion," Nate said.</p>
<p>Sophie ached for him, too. He'd already called Maggie to explain everything, just in case the social worker decided to call her up. "Were you aware that your husband had an affair during your marriage which produced a child?" Yeah, Maggie deserved better than to be hit with that. She had been supportive, as Sophie had known she would be, and willing to cover for Nate if it was needed. Nobody else seemed to think so, but Sophie really thought there might be a Grifter hiding somewhere inside that honest person.</p>
<p>Still, having to admit to a public employee that he had "cheated" on Maggie burned Nate's soul, and Sophie could only keep her wince inside as his own grifting slipped and real guilt slipped through. Of course he had never cheated on Maggie with Sophie or anybody else — but he had <em>wanted to</em>, and that was part of the fun of it. For Sophie, anyway.</p>
<p>"And why did you never come forward? It appears no child support was ever requested, but you should have been participating in the financial obligations for your son."</p>
<p>"Have you seen my bank account?" Nate asked.</p>
<p>Sophie was glad that Max was lost enough that he didn't react too much — he knew by now that the team had plenty of money, but Nate's was mostly held in places a casual search wouldn't reveal, and under some other names as well. His legitimate life savings had gone to the get-out-of-jail bribe.</p>
<p>The social worker nodded and shuffled some papers. "Well, an absent father is still a father, as long as you can provide a stable home life. Honestly, Max's other relatives are more distant, and speaking with them, I'm not sure they're the best choice."</p>
<p>Sophie could only concur. Hardison had been following Max's case in the system for the last few days, and maybe possibly had tapped the phone lines so he could listen in when <em>that</em> conversation happened. Those cousins had said all the correct things about being sorry for Max's loss, but not once did they even ask if Max was okay, or where he was staying. Even a distracted social worker had been put off.</p>
<p>Nate just nodded, waiting.</p>
<p>"I'll need to speak with Max alone. After that, we'll need to arrange some time in front of the judge to get the order signed. But, given the circumstances, I don't anticipate that taking too long."</p>
<p>"Sounds good. You'll be okay?" Nate asked Max as he rose, Sophie standing up with him.</p>
<p>Max nodded.</p>
<p>"It's okay to tell him the truth," Sophie added. "About anything you're not sure of."</p>
<p>He nodded again, and Sophie caught the pleased flicker of emotion on the social worker's face.</p>
<p>They left the room, but with comms in, they could hear every word.</p>
<p>"It's okay, Max. I just want to know how you feel about your father. I can see you don't have much documented history with him. How's it going?"</p>
<p>"He's...it's weird," Max admitted. "But he's...nice. He cares about me, and he's been making sure I sleep and eat okay, and letting me...letting me cry. He's taken over the...the...funeral stuff. But he asks for my opinions."</p>
<p>In the hallway, Sophie and Nate exchanged glances. It was really more Sophie making those arrangements, but otherwise he was telling the truth. She wanted Max to be able to carry this memory knowing that someone who cared had tried to make this awful situation appropriate and meaningful for him.</p>
<p>"That's good to hear," the social worker said. "What about therapy? A traumatic loss like this is really tough. Has he suggested seeing someone to help you adjust?"</p>
<p>"He mentioned it, yeah."</p>
<p>That was actually Hardison, but, again, close enough in Sophie's opinion.</p>
<p>The social worker paused, writing — the scrape of a pen could be heard in the silence where Sophie realized Max was holding perfectly still and barely breathing.</p>
<p>"And what do you call him? Dad, or Nate?"</p>
<p>She heard the panicked gasp of breath. "I...I call him Nate. Does that matter?"</p>
<p>Nate put a hand on her arm, which was when Sophie realized she was already moving to reenter the room to calm Max back down. She could hear his budding panic over the comms and it took everything she had to spare to keep from bursting in there and teaching that fool how to talk to distraught people.</p>
<p>But Eliot was already counting steadily in their ears, helping Max breathe.</p>
<p>"No," the social worker said about a million seconds too late. "No, I was just curious. It's not at all uncommon for a child who has a separated parent to call them by their name."</p>
<p>Sophie wanted Eliot here so he could punch him. To think of asking such a loaded question when it didn't matter! She didn't have to look at Nate, or listen to the others, to know she wasn't alone in being angry.</p>
<p>"O-okay."</p>
<p>"You're old enough that you have the legal right to state who you would like to live with," the social worker said after another note-taking break while Max regained his breath. "The judge can overrule you, but they won't unless you chose something unsafe or unreasonable. You have your mother's cousins, if you would like to consider them. I understand you haven't been with your father that much. It's okay if you need more time to adjust."</p>
<p>"No, I don't need time," Max said. "Nate...I don't want anybody else."</p>
<p>"Well, you look better than you did on our first visit. So that's a good sign."</p>
<p>"Okay." Then, "Will I...will I have to talk to the judge?"</p>
<p>"Only a little. I'll note your preference here in my paperwork. He or she will ask you to affirm it in their presence, and may ask you a few questions if they have any. But that's all."</p>
<p>"And...that will be soon?"</p>
<p>"Yes. It just so happens that the family court docket has recently been reassigned across the county, so it should just be a day or so before the hearing. Normally it would be longer, but you're here at a good time."</p>
<p>Sophie sighed. That was the absolute wrong thing to say to <em>anybody</em>, let alone a child who has lost a parent. She was grateful that Hardison had done...something — she had no idea what and frankly didn't care — to get time on a judge's calendar fast. They wanted this pinned down and legal before anyone thought to make trouble.</p>
<p>Max hauled in a breath that had the edge of tears in it, but his voice only shook a little when he answered. "I guess."</p>
<p>"Well, I think everything's in order. Let me call your father in to sign a few things and we'll be done until the hearing in family court."</p>
<p>Sophie and Nate moved to sit on a bench, arranging themselves into poses that would look natural for the few strained minutes they'd been separated. When the door opened, it didn't take much grifting to stand up with urgency. They reentered the office, moving straight to Max. Nate put an arm around him and Sophie offered him a tissue from her pocket. Max tried to smile at both of them, and it was genuine even if it meant something different than the social worker thought.</p>
<p>Even now, the kid felt better being part of their funny little operation, cheating the system, like playing a game with his life. Which they were, of course — a game Sophie was sure they were determined to win.</p>
<p>"If you would sign here, Mister Ford, everything is in order until the hearing before the judge. Feel free to stay in touch if you have any questions or if Max wants to talk."</p>
<p>Well, that was unlikely, but Sophie didn't roll her eyes at the man.</p>
<p>A matter of minutes later, they were on their way.</p>
<p>"Okay?" Nate asked Max when they were in the parking lot and away from those sterile hallways and bureaucratic posters.</p>
<p>"No. But not worse."</p>
<p>"I'll take it," Nate said, nodding.</p>
<p>As far as Sophie was concerned, that was progress in itself — for both of them.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>They buried his mom on a Wednesday.</p>
<p>Max coasted through the day feeling like he was dreaming, or feverish, or dazed. It had been ten days since he'd become an orphan, and two days since he'd gained a legal father. The world was spinning too fast for him, and all he could do was hold on.</p>
<p>The suit he was wearing was new, and he had no idea who had bought it or what it cost or even when or how they got it fitted to him without his knowledge. It didn't itch or pinch, and he wanted it to. He wanted it to hurt, because then he'd know he was awake and this was real.</p>
<p>And if this wasn't real, then it was a nightmare, and he couldn't take any more of those.</p>
<p>The church service was quiet — they had not publicized it much deliberately, so there were only a few rows of people besides the Leverage team filling the pews. No one got up to speak besides the preacher. Sophie had asked Max if he wanted to say anything, and he literally could not imagine wanting to do anything less, and she had acquiesced.</p>
<p>Someday he might ask Sophie for the passages that were read, or the blessing. Someday maybe he'd want to connect this experience to words. But right now, all he could think about was his mom's fingers ruffling his hair, her hug when he was scared, her laughter when she was happy teaching him something interesting from her travels. All he could think about was the fact that his whole life had been measured in waiting for her to come home, and now she never would.</p>
<p>Nate sat on one side of him and Eliot sat on the other. Sophie was on Nate's other side and Parker and Hardison were flanking Eliot, so Max was completely surrounded. Nate had an arm around his shoulders, and Eliot anchored him with a grip on his elbow, but Max could look at neither of them. He mostly stared at his shoes and tried to stop listening to the buzzing in his head.</p>
<p>But when the final prayer was offered and everyone else bowed their heads, Max looked up instead. The church's rafters were a complicated latticework overhead, crisscrossing above, simple in a way the church wasn't otherwise. There was no stained glass up there, no pictures of deities, no flowers or candles. Just wood and air.</p>
<p>He wished he could turn himself into a bird and just fly away. Disappear into the shadows in the rafters, or even escape into the sky and never look back. Just leave it all behind.</p>
<p>It wasn't until his ears felt cold that he realized he was crying and his tears were running into them.</p>
<p>The weight of the world had never been so heavy. Stone never so solid, gravity never so strong. Because all he wanted was to break away and escape it all. Go wherever fog went, where clouds went, anywhere he wouldn't have to be real and flesh and pain anymore.</p>
<p>A sound burst out of him, echoing in the quietly praying church, and he stifled the next desperately.</p>
<p>And then someone was holding him and he didn't even know who — the suits were all the same against closed eyes and wet cheeks. But they held on and he muffled his cries against a tie that cost more than he wanted to know. And there were fingers in his hair and another set of arms providing pressure as well, and his heart was a black hole, but his skin was real and he could feel them all holding onto him.</p>
<p>Max would never remember the end of the service, but he would never forget that moment.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Eliot tapped on Max's door. "Hey. Come here."</p>
<p>The kid had been quiet for the last few days, ever since the funeral. He went where he was told, ate what was put in front of him, and slept when he couldn't be bothered to do anything else. But most of the time, he sat on his bed in the hotel room, or curled up the wrong way across it, and just stared at the window.</p>
<p>It wasn't good for him, and they all knew it. What they needed to do was get him into a new normal. A new home, probably therapy, maybe school. Start his life over someplace where he could form new memories.</p>
<p>But Max had asked them — had begged them — not to leave yet. Eventually, when pressed, he said he didn't want them to leave the con undone, that they had come here to stop a bad guy and he wanted them to finish. That wasn't the whole answer, and they all knew it, but he asked so passionately no one could gainsay him. In spite of the number of times Sophie tried.</p>
<p>Eliot privately thought it had more to do with the fact that the kid just wasn't quite through this part of his grief yet and wasn't quite ready to begin the moving on progress. And that was okay. It wasn't like they were in a hurry. They could leave any time — now that Nate had inherited the entire family estate in Max's name, the house was theirs and they could clean it out or sell it or whatever Max wanted whenever he felt like making a decision about it. They were already going to pull him out of his awful school and get him back to Boston to start over. It could happen whenever they were ready to go.</p>
<p>But Max had asked for nothing since his mother's death, except for them to finish the job. So the team decided to do it. If it would help him even a little, it was worth it.</p>
<p>Therefore, Nate was off "investigating" with Hardison and Parker playing backup, and Sophie was ostensibly setting up the hit on Nate after explaining the delay to Bakerson by a problem "back home." (Really, Eliot thought Sophie was off practicing her evil laugh again, and that was fine as long as she did it far away from him.) Which left him alone to keep an eye on the kid.</p>
<p>It was the first time it had been just the two of them in a few days, and Eliot intended to take advantage of his chance.</p>
<p>Max got up and followed Eliot, eyes dull but a drowned spark of curiosity somewhere in the depths. Eliot led him to his own room.</p>
<p>"Sit," he said, gesturing to where he'd dragged an extra chair in so they could sit side-by-side at the long table that doubled as a desk. He sat beside him and pulled out a length of simple cord. "Watch."</p>
<p>Then Eliot began tying a knot. He did it slowly, turning his hands so every move was clear to Max. When it was finished, he untied it, then retied it.</p>
<p>"Now you." And he handed it over.</p>
<p>Max frowned, but carefully started untying the knot. It took him a few tries, but he got it.</p>
<p>"Now tie it again."</p>
<p>This time Eliot had to help him. But eventually there was a lumpy version of the knot on the rope again.</p>
<p>"Again. Until you can do it one handed with your eyes shut behind your back."</p>
<p>Max almost smirked and Eliot <em>did</em> smirk — the kid thought he was joking.</p>
<p>He wasn't.</p>
<p>Most of an hour later, he could see that Max's hands were cramping and his fingers were red where he was constantly gripping the narrow cord. But Max had bent his mind to the task with a will, his face almost easing into something that looked less like grief and more like interest. Only when Eliot nodded that he'd done it perfectly, though, did he speak up.</p>
<p>"What was the point of doing that?" Max wasn't petulant, just curious.</p>
<p>"This." Eliot reached into a pocket and drew out a braided cord.</p>
<p>But it wasn't just one cord. It was five. There was an actual electrical cord from a computer twined around a piece of black paracord. There was a shoelace from a man's shoe and a silk ribbon wound around one another, too. And there was a length of brown leather woven amongst them all. Together, they made one sturdy, unbreakable rope with dangling ends that stuck out of the bunch.</p>
<p>Eliot reached for Max's left hand.</p>
<p>"You're not alone, Max. I know sometimes you'll forget, so we want you to remember." And he wrapped the braid around the kid's thin wrist three times before tying it in place with the knot he'd just shown Max.</p>
<p>Max stared at it.</p>
<p>"That knot will hold, though you need to be able to take it off for going in the water or any time it will be in your way," Eliot said. "But the rest of the time, leave it on. And if it ever wears out, I'll make you another one."</p>
<p>Max's eyes filled with tears and he ran the pads of his fingers along the braid. Eliot could guess at what he was thinking, seeing the five of them there with him. He didn't need to tell the kid how Nate had unlaced his favorite pair of dress shoes without hesitation to contribute to this, how Hardison had cracked open the computer in the van to get at the "best" cord, how Parker had cut the paracord herself, not from her rigging because her ropes were too thick, but from a bundle she had somewhere for some reason, how Sophie had agonized over the color to choose and eventually settled on blue the shade of Nate's eyes. He could tell Max later, if he wanted to know, but he thought maybe the choices spoke for themselves.</p>
<p>Eliot watched Max's tears fall, but could see in his face that this wasn't grief at all.</p>
<p>"Th-thank you," Max whispered as emotion overcame him.</p>
<p>Eliot moved from his chair so he could wrap his arms around the boy just as his own cord would hold the boy from now on.</p>
<p>Nothing was fixed, maybe nothing was healed. But the tears Max cried now were easy, somehow, in a way they hadn't been.</p>
<p>Eliot intended to see him all the way through, until the need for tears had passed entirely.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Nate gasped for breath, ducking under the nearest car. "Damnit, Hardison!"</p>
<p>"Sorry!" His voice was strained, and not just by Parker's wild driving, probably. "Anyway, there's only three of them, and they're trying to keep this from, you know, being obvious. Just...keep in sight of other people."</p>
<p>"Not how this works!" Nate yelled back.</p>
<p>He was angry, and it helped him move fast even if it was rotten for focus. But now he needed speed.</p>
<p>Apparently Bakerson had gotten tired of waiting for Annie Croy to make her move against him, and thus the sudden interest in thugs with guns introducing his head to their bullets in an invasive manner. And Nate knew, he <em>knew</em> it was no coincidence that the attack happened just after his DHS alias had left the police station on foot. The mole in the police was still feeding info back to Bakerson and was apparently comfortable enough with being an accessory to murder to sell him out.</p>
<p>It shouldn't have gone down like this. They were supposed to let Annie Croy and Eliot stage the attack. But <em>no</em>, Bakerson had to get impatient at the <em>worst possible time</em>.</p>
<p>They couldn't just tell the mark, "Hey, leave off the evil-doing while we deal with a kid who just became our kid, will ya?" and even Sophie's best tap dancing couldn't hold off the inevitable forever. He'd been marked for death for almost two weeks.</p>
<p>
  <em>He should have seen this coming.</em>
</p>
<p>If Nate was honest with himself, this was really his fault. He'd been so focused on Max — rightly so — he'd forgotten about the con, or, when he remembered, hadn't bothered to care. His job was to see the angles, to see far enough ahead to get through every possible scenario and prepare for it before anyone could even start making moves, and he hadn't. He'd been distracted, and that made him sloppy.</p>
<p>And now he was dodging bullets in the street.</p>
<p>"Nate," came Eliot's voice. "They're not trained. One of them's even holding the gun <em>sideways</em>. Run in a zig-zag pattern and chances are they'll miss you completely."</p>
<p>"How good are the chances?" Sophie asked, worry in her tone.</p>
<p>"Good enough for me," Nate decided. He pushed from the car he'd hidden behind and ran for the street. He only had to get far enough to meet up with Parker and Hardison and then Parker's reckless driving would do the rest.</p>
<p>Gunfire roared behind him and he felt the sting of something on his hip, but he only barely stumbled and kept running.</p>
<p>But he must have made a sound, because Hardison asked, "Did you just get shot?"</p>
<p>"Only a little," he managed, still running. "Parker?"</p>
<p>"Almost there!"</p>
<p>He could hear the van long before Lucille came around a corner almost too fast and tipped dangerously to the side. There was a sound of honking horns and squealing brakes that heralded the arrival of his personal cavalry — when that cavalry wasn't Eliot, anyway. Pressing a hand to his hip and feeling warmth that could only be blood on his pants, he let Parker swerve around him, putting the van between him and his pursuers. Hardison threw the door open and hauled him in with surprising strength.</p>
<p>"You <em>did</em> get shot!" he yelled. "Eliot, get ready to do more of those stitches."</p>
<p>"How bad?" Eliot demanded.</p>
<p>"Just a graze." Nate was working on getting his breath back, but he felt confident of his assessment anyway. "It doesn't hurt anything like taking a shot in the gut did."</p>
<p>Hardison glared at him. "Man, do <em>not</em> start with me!"</p>
<p>"Well, looks like this job just went from the back burner to the front," Sophie said, and Nate didn't have to know her moods to know she was <em>furious</em>. He just wasn't sure how much of that was at him for almost getting hurt and how much was at Bakerson for one-upping Annie Croy.</p>
<p>"First things first," Nate said. "We need to figure out how to respond to Bakerson. We can't lose Annie's in with him if we're going to pull this off."</p>
<p>"<em>First</em>," and oh boy Eliot was not happy, "you get back here and I patch you up. Dammit, Nate."</p>
<p>Nate chuckled at that. Then he took the towel Hardison had been pressing to his side and shoved the Hacker away. He appreciated Hardison's help, he did, but he really didn't want the guy to pass out and he was starting to look a little strange. Blood was not Hardison's thing.</p>
<p>"Fine," he agreed, hoping to mollify Eliot before the Hitter started stitching him up because that was one way he didn't want to find out if Eliot could make him more miserable intentionally.</p>
<p>Distraction is a double-edge sword, though, and Nate forgot two critical things in that moment.</p>
<p>First, that he'd become distracted in the first place because of a kid who needed his help, and who was a part of this now. Including being on comms.</p>
<p>Second, that the same kid still didn't believe they truly wanted him.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max shouldered the pilfered backpack, dodging around another corner when he spotted a traffic camera.</p>
<p>It was his fault. Nate had been shot and <em>it was his fault</em>. They'd stopped thinking about the con, they'd stopped doing their best because they were too busy taking care of him. And now Nate was hurt and they would never have messed up like this if he hadn't been there. If they hadn't had to put their jobs on hold for him.</p>
<p>And Max was so scared. His mom was <em>dead</em> and those people had been shooting at Nate. If he let them get distracted again...what if...what if…?</p>
<p>So he did the only thing he could think to do. He ran.</p>
<p>He knew they wouldn't like it. That they'd be angry, and maybe even furious. But he couldn't let them get killed for him. He couldn't let them get so caught up in taking care of him that they put themselves at risk. Maybe...maybe when they finished this job, then it would be okay. But as long as Bakerson was out there, they needed to be able to focus on him. They needed to take him down so everyone would be safe.</p>
<p>They could find him later.</p>
<p>Assuming he made it hard enough for Hardison to find him <em>now.</em> But he'd been paying attention even when his mind was a mire of grief and darkness, and he was learning.</p>
<p>He didn't head back to...the house. That would be the first place they'd check. But he needed to stay in the neighborhoods he did know, just because that's where he had the advantage. So he chose the area around his school where he knew every back street and alleyway, and most of them were residential and so camera-free. There were plenty of places to hide out here, from play structures in parks to a few backyard treehouses where the kids had grown up but the parents had left them alone. They'd been his refuges before when he left school. They could be again.</p>
<p>He just had to find one that was sturdy enough to last a few days. Then he could try emailing Hardison to see if the job was done.</p>
<p>It wasn't that he didn't want to go back.</p>
<p>Though he was surprised by how <em>much</em> he wanted to go back. To go to where Eliot and Nate and Sophie and Parker and Hardison increasingly felt like home.</p>
<p>But he wouldn't — not until they were safe. And if the only way he could help was to stay out of their way, then he would stay as far away as he could, just in case.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>The door slammed open.</p>
<p>Bran pushed to his feet in surprise. His chains had been reduced some days ago — he didn't know how many because he mostly spent them in the closet alone with his thoughts — so he could move around more easily. He seemed to be making progress with Eliot, especially the more Sophie talked to him and did...something. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what.</p>
<p>If they'd been in his world, he'd have assumed something magical. As it was, he shuddered to think about that woman with any amount of supernatural power. She would be <em>terrifying</em>.</p>
<p>"I'm giving you one chance," Eliot said without preamble. Bran immediately offered Eliot the lock to the chains that remained around his wrists and Eliot opened it.</p>
<p>"What is it?"</p>
<p>"We have a problem. Max has run off. Nate's hurt and can't go looking. Parker's already out, and Hardison is doing his computer thing. But the kid's on his own and not thinking straight."</p>
<p>Bran felt a pain like electricity go through him.</p>
<p>"He won't…" he began.</p>
<p>He knew how sad, how <em>ruined</em> the Mighty One had become in this world of despair. How the hero in the boy had been destroyed, leaving behind a mere husk. Were the Mighty One in his right mind, he would never doubt the boy. But now…</p>
<p>"I don't know," and Eliot growled those words in a way that any other man would have screamed. "I don't <em>think</em> so, but I can't be sure and I can't be wrong. We have to find him."</p>
<p>Eliot looked into Bran's eyes and Bran felt sure he should be burned to the bone by the expression.</p>
<p>"You found him once. I don't care how. Find him again. <em>Now.</em>"</p>
<p>Bran knew that he should use this opportunity to argue for more trust, for freedom, for inclusion into this strange group of people who had taken his boy and protected him. He should bargain, should take this olive branch and turn it to his advantage. That would be the strategic move.</p>
<p>But all he cared about was the Mighty One, so he simply nodded.</p>
<p>"Do they know?"</p>
<p>Eliot shook his head. "My call. Take this." He held out an earbud. "Put it in. Hardison's not the only one who knows how to do this. You'll only be able to talk to me. And I'll be able to track you."</p>
<p>Bran thought perhaps this earbud wasn't the only tracker Eliot had slipped onto him at some point, and possibly not even this week. Not that he had any interest in escape.</p>
<p>"I'll find him," he said.</p>
<p>Eliot nodded. "I'll be monitoring. Screw me over, Kovac, and you'll regret it for the rest of your life."</p>
<p>"If I cannot find the boy," Bran said, meaning every word, "I will deserve your wrath."</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Norman couldn't really feel that disappointed. Virgil the self-important Lemurian and his resident hero or bodyguard or whatever Maximus was were going on about how dangerous uncontrolled powers were in the hands of a disturbed boy, but what did they really know, anyway? The Mighty One had been a hero five thousand years before, and he'd been cleaning up the little leaks of supernatural stuff around the edges of the world since, but it didn't seem to Norman like either Virgil or Maximus were particularly <em>interested</em> in the world as it was now.</p>
<p>Sure, they wanted to protect the planet, but maybe they should show a little more care for the world itself, not just their version of how it should be.</p>
<p>Anyway, they still wanted to find the kid to do...whatever they thought they had to do to save the world. Frankly, Norman would rather just leave him alone.</p>
<p>Hadn't Max been through enough? Now these heroes wanted to do something to him and Norman didn't like the sound of it at all.</p>
<p>So the fact that they found no one at Max's home address when they arrived made Norman feel a little better about the fact that they were doing this at all. If they couldn't find the kid, then Virgil and Maximus would have to figure out another way to save the world or something. Or find another monster to blame for the whatever Virgil said was going wrong.</p>
<p>He was doubly glad not to have found Max because the version of Max in the shard of the Crystal of Souls Virgil showed him that morning seemed like a Max who was a little better than the last time Norman had seen him. Sure, he was still in mourning, but he didn't look like a stiff breeze or one more piece of bad news would shatter him. Obviously somebody was taking an interest in the kid, not just shuffling him on as another problem, and he could only think how sad and tragic it was for a death to have been the thing to unlock the kid a little.</p>
<p>The world was funny like that. Sometimes bad things lead to better things.</p>
<p>Then he spotted a familiar shock of blond hair.</p>
<p>If Norman had gotten the opportunity, he would have pretended he never saw the kid. But Maximus was already pointing. "Virgil, there!"</p>
<p>Norman bit back a sigh and fell into a jog alongside the other two. Max hadn't noticed them; he was focused on ducking around a corner as if being followed. Norman raised a hand to hail him.</p>
<p>"You there! Stop at once!"</p>
<p>Or Virgil could yell first. Great. Norman sped up his jog so he wouldn't lag behind as Maximus and Virgil neatly cut off Max's escape route down the back street.</p>
<p>Max looked up, clinging to his backpack and shrinking backwards. Then he spotted Norman. "Coach?" he asked.</p>
<p>"You will cease at once," Virgil said, planting himself in front of Max.</p>
<p>"Uh?"</p>
<p>Norman thought the kid's confusion was fair. He tried to look less threatening than Maximus or Virgil. "It's okay," he said. "This is just...a little hard to explain."</p>
<p>"It is <em>not</em> hard to explain," Virgil snapped. "You, boy." He pointed a finger at Max. "You are at the heart of some very disturbing imbalances in the powers that guard our entire world. You are toying with powers beyond your comprehension and it must stop at once. We are prepared to do whatever is necessary to defend the world against your actions."</p>
<p>Norman was <em>pretty</em> sure that wasn't the right way to deal with any of this with a healthy kid, let alone one who had just gone through one or maybe two deaths in the family.</p>
<p>But before he could say anything, someone shouldered past him, planting himself between the three of them and Max. Norman didn't recognize the newcomer, but Max apparently did.</p>
<p>"B-Branislav?"</p>
<p>The man curled into a stance that showed skill and training and the willingness to use it.</p>
<p>"You're safe," he said. "I will protect you, as I always should have."</p>
<p>Norman couldn't have said why the venom in those words sent a shiver down his spine.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Who We Are Instead</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, it's late, but still Monday in Central Time, so that counts!</p>
<p>The song for this chapter is "Trouble Is" by Jars of Clay. Blame my beta – when she was really Christian for a while, she got into various Christian rock bands, and their music has kind of saturated our playlists. The secular (or mostly secular) ones have survived every music purge for the last 20 years. So I guess we're stuck with them. But it always feels weird as a legit pagan priestess to use them, even when the lyrics fit. Oh well.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Max was scared.</p>
<p>He was also very, very confused.</p>
<p>First of all, how on earth had Branislav gotten away from Eliot and the others? Had he broken out? Did he fight Eliot? Was anybody else hurt? Max thought Branislav seemed like an okay guy — crazy, obviously, but not necessarily <em>malicious</em> — but anything could have happened.</p>
<p>Secondly, what was Coach Norman doing here? And who were these other people?</p>
<p>And that was before the fact that every time Max looked at the shorter of the strangers, he felt like he was starting to get a migraine. It was that feeling he got in dreams sometimes, like his eyes wouldn't stay open and what he was seeing was hazy. If he looked at the short guy for more than a few seconds, the image of an older man seemed to fuzz out to be replaced with, well, nothing that made any amount of sense.</p>
<p>The other stranger was big, as big as Coach Norman or Branislav, and, seriously, Max was glad Eliot was a normal size because he was starting to feel pretty tiny with giants like this in the world. But something about the stranger with the long blond hair made Max feel uncomfortable in a way even Branislav didn't. It was a prickle between his shoulder-blades. Impossible to explain, but undeniable all the same.</p>
<p>Who <em>were</em> these two and why were they looking for him? And what did the short one mean about "imbalances of powers" or whatever other stuff he was blaming on Max?</p>
<p>If he weren't so scared, Max would be burying his face in his hands and wishing he'd stayed with the others.</p>
<p>Instead he clung to his backpack straps, one foot braced behind him to run. Run from whom, where — he wasn't sure yet. But <em>away</em>, definitely.</p>
<p>"M...Max," Branislav said. Max looked up at the man's broad back. "Stay here. Your friends will come. Eliot sent me."</p>
<p>Which immediately made Max feel better because Eliot would know what to do, and he was sure Eliot could handle anything. Although it also meant Max was probably going to get yelled at, and might not be able to do the one thing he really thought he should — get away from the team so they'd be safer. But that was before Tweedle Dee and Teeny Dum showed up with Coach Norman, and he could really use some help.</p>
<p>"Step aside," the big blond one said. "This does not concern you."</p>
<p>"Who are you?" Branislav asked, not budging. "I will not permit you to threaten the boy."</p>
<p>"He is the focus of powers best left undisturbed," the short headachey guy said. "We will not harm him unless there is no alternative. He cannot be permitted to continue his activities."</p>
<p>At that, Max felt himself yelling. "<em>What</em> activities? Seriously, do I look like I'm trying to build a nuke in my backyard or something?"</p>
<p>"Now, see here…"</p>
<p>"Virgil," Coach Norman interrupted, "you're not helping." He looked at Max. "This isn't...it's not something most people know about. It's hard to put into words."</p>
<p>"Yeah, that's not creepy or anything," Max said. He wasn't sure if he imagined Branislav suppressing a chuckle. "Look, my Stranger Danger handout says not to talk to you and I think I am going to exercise my kid rights not to be bothered by a bunch of weird adults and get out of here."</p>
<p>But the blond took a step closer. "We cannot let you leave."</p>
<p>"You will not touch him," Branislav growled. "Not if you value your life or health."</p>
<p>"Nice threat," Max felt the need to compliment.</p>
<p>"Not a threat. A promise."</p>
<p>"I'm starting to see why Eliot says you're scary. Did you two take lessons at the same school for fighters...protectors...whatever?" That quip didn't end where he meant it to and Max found he had enough emotional energy to spare to be annoyed as well as afraid and confused.</p>
<p>"Guardians, M...Max," Branislav said. "Chosen or called, that is what we are."</p>
<p>Max could work with that. Sure, Branislav had tried to take him away, and still had some kind of cult mentality going, but at least he wasn't levying weird threats. Still, Max would feel a lot better when Eliot actually arrived.</p>
<p>Assuming he was going to.</p>
<p>Then Max had a horrible thought — what if Branislav just <em>said</em> Eliot was coming in order to win his trust? And then, after doing...whatever was going to happen with this confrontation, took him away as he'd tried to from the start?</p>
<p>A shiver ran through his entire frame and Max felt vulnerable and unsafe down to his very core.</p>
<p>He certainly didn't trust Big Blond and Shorty. He <em>shouldn't</em> trust Branislav. And he would have said he trusted Coach Norman until Coach Norman sided with the first two, so he was out as well.</p>
<p>Max was alone.</p>
<p>From somewhere deep in his soul, the urge to cry rose up strong and fierce.</p>
<p>But he forced it back. There was no time to cry. No time to be scared. No matter how much he wanted to curl up and feel safe, if he gave an inch now, he might never get back to the only people he could trust. He had to hang in there.</p>
<p>He couldn't fight, necessarily. Might not be able to run. So Max heaved in a deep breath and summoned up as much of Nate's confidence and Sophie's brazen skill as he could and moved his hands from his backpack straps so he could square his shoulders and lift his chin, presenting power he certainly didn't feel.</p>
<p>"Here's what's going to happen," Max said, and he had to believe that he could <em>make</em> it happen by sheer willpower. "We're going to wait right here until my friends show up. And if <em>anybody</em> makes a move, I'm going to scream 'Fire' as loud as I can and you all get to explain why you're bothering a minor without his legal guardian present."</p>
<p>He didn't really watch for Branislav's response, but he saw Coach Norman rock back in a little bit of surprise. The other two strangers exchanged glances.</p>
<p>The short one cleared his throat. "I don't believe it would be wise to allow the child to stall. We cannot waste this opportunity, Mighty One."</p>
<p>Max thought Branislav might have jolted at that, but didn't have time to think about it.</p>
<p>"What do you suggest?" the blond one replied.</p>
<p>"Let us detain him. Once the situation is resolved, assuming all goes well, we can release him then."</p>
<p>"Not happening," Branislav said, tensing.</p>
<p>"Actually, I'm not going to help you kidnap a kid," Coach Norman put in. "Fate of the world, fine, but if the kid's got an adult guardian, you need to wait for them."</p>
<p>"The years have made you soft," the short one scoffed.</p>
<p>"Hey!" Max had no idea why he was sticking up for the coach, but that was just mean. "Not being a kidnapping lunatic is not a bad thing!"</p>
<p>"Enough of this. Mighty One?"</p>
<p>Max hauled in a deep breath. Things were about to get real.</p>
<p>"Max," Branislav said softly. "I need to tell you something."</p>
<p>"Uh, is this the time?" Max asked, swallowing hard as the strangers started to move towards him.</p>
<p>"Yes." And Branislav actually looked over his shoulder and winked. "Brace for a cavalry charge."</p>
<p>The words had barely made it through Max's head when a blur shot out from around the corner and slammed into the blond stranger like a <em>rocket</em>. Then there was the absolutely bone-crushing sound of flesh against brick.</p>
<p>"Mighty One!" the short guy yelled.</p>
<p>But Eliot was already landing hits hard and fast on the form half-crumpled against the wall. When he spun back a moment later, the blond was groaning, but not really moving.</p>
<p>"Eliot!" Max wanted to run to Eliot, but Branislav held him back.</p>
<p>Eliot stepped directly in front of Coach Norman, obviously determining the next greatest threat. But he didn't strike right away, instead curling into an unfamiliar fighting posture.</p>
<p>Coach Norman held up one hand. "The cavalry?" he asked.</p>
<p>Eliot grunted.</p>
<p>"If the kid's yours, I'm not going to fight you. But you might have to talk to these two."</p>
<p>The shorter one absolutely <em>exploded</em>. "What have you done to the Mighty One? How dare you attack the greatest hero this world has ever known? Who are you to thwart the powers of all that is just and good?"</p>
<p>Eliot apparently didn't find the shorter guy worth his full attention, instead edging back without ever taking his eyes from everyone until he stood braced a few feet from Branislav, Max behind them both.</p>
<p>"Pretty sure you heard the kid before," he said. "Get lost."</p>
<p>"They kind of can't," Coach Norman said. "It's...complicated."</p>
<p>Eliot gave him a glare of disdain that Max would have to practice because it <em>worked</em> — everyone in the vicinity visibly withered under it.</p>
<p>"<em>Uncomplicate it.</em></p>
<p>But a moment later, there was a tiny crack in Eliot's expression, though Max was pretty sure he was the only one to catch it. Probably because he knew Eliot better than the rest. That crack gave him enough warning not to jump out of his skin at the voice behind him.</p>
<p>"What the <em>hell</em> are you doing with my kid?"</p>
<p>Max spun, both deeply grateful to have Nate here and more concerned than ever because, first, Nate <em>had gotten shot</em> today, and, second, there were enough big guys here that Max wasn't sure adding anybody other than Eliot into the mix was a good idea.</p>
<p>Even so, when Nate's hand landed on his shoulder, steady and unyielding, he leaned into the touch.</p>
<p>Coach Norman looked Nate up and down. "What's your relationship with Max?"</p>
<p>"I'm his father."</p>
<p>That made the gym teacher blink, but he recovered quickly. "And you can prove it?"</p>
<p>"You want to see the custody agreement signed by the judge, or Max's birth certificate?" Nate shot back.</p>
<p>Norman nodded. "Fine. Virgil, if you want to do anything to Max, I'm not helping you unless you include his parent."</p>
<p>"I don't see why I should have to be bound by some kind of bureaucratic laws about <em>custody</em> when the <em>fate of the world</em> hangs in the balance," the shorter guy actually had the guts to complain right in Nate's face.</p>
<p>Max felt the fire run through Nate's veins even though the man didn't shift so much as a microexpression. All he could do was shake his head internally and hope these guys had good lawyers and liked jail because Nate was going to <em>destroy</em> them.</p>
<p>But it was Branislav who spoke. "Eliot. These people...there is something wrong here."</p>
<p>Eliot turned his disdain look on Branislav, who, to his credit, didn't flinch much.</p>
<p>"I do not know that one," Branislav said, tipping his head slightly to the blond guy Eliot had put halfway through a brick wall and was now trying to push back to his feet and not really succeeding. "But the others...I know them."</p>
<p>That got Eliot and Nate's full attention.</p>
<p>"Part of your unit?" Eliot asked him.</p>
<p>"More accurately, part of Max's unit," Branislav said.</p>
<p>Max couldn't help it — he groaned. Even Nate's suddenly tighter grip couldn't keep him from ducking his forehead into Nate's side and rubbing at his eyes.</p>
<p>"More of this weirdness." Max could handle it from Branislav because he was nice about it, but now it included Coach Norman? And people who droned on about the fate of the world? <em>Not</em> what he'd signed up for. "Why me?"</p>
<p>"Because," Branislav said softly, "you are the M...you know."</p>
<p>Max realized that the shorter one, Virgil, apparently, had called the big blond one the "Mighty One" the way Branislav had referred to himself. He frowned.</p>
<p>"What, did they have some kind of beauty pageant? How many Mighty Ones are there? And how, <em>exactly,</em> could you stack him against me?"</p>
<p>"There is <em>one</em> Mighty One," Virgil said, apparently affronted when his expression held still on a human face in Max's vision. "And you…" He looked like he was going to shake his fist at Eliot. "Such disregard is...it's…"</p>
<p>"Rude?" Coach Norman offered.</p>
<p>Apparently his input wasn't welcome because Virgil rounded on him. "And you! You were meant to assist us in this! The scrying was very clear that you are a part of that which threatens the fate of the very world! Just because the one at the heart of such chaos is a child is no reason to underestimate the threat he represents! Now, do your duty and help us dispatch these people so we can complete our task!"</p>
<p>Max's heart stuttered in his chest. They were talking about hurting Nate and Eliot. And probably Branislav unless he was playing a really weird loyalty game here for some reason. All to get to him.</p>
<p>Max needed to get this under control and fast. And if he could keep them from attacking by trading himself…</p>
<p>"Max, don't even think it," Nate ordered sharply before he could even open his mouth.</p>
<p>Max looked up, and blinked when Nate actually made a tiny smile at him.</p>
<p>"Yes, I know what you were thinking. But we didn't ask you to protect us by leaving an hour ago and we aren't going to let you protect us by leaving now, either. Your willingness to sacrifice yourself is something we'll have to work on. For now, trust me."</p>
<p>Cautiously, Max did.</p>
<p>"I can see this going two ways, gentlemen," Nate said, returning his attention to the others. "First, I have more than enough evidence to get you at least arrested, if not sued for your threat to my child. And your teaching license revoked," he added, looking at Coach Norman. "I can personally vouch for the fact that there are dozens of ways to make your trip through the legal system take as long as possible and include an <em>extreme</em> amount of discomfort. And if you don't back down, <em>I will.</em>"</p>
<p>Max felt the dramatic pause and was reminded yet again of how <em>good</em> at this Nate really was.</p>
<p>"<em>Or</em>." And he smiled a shark's smile that was as much a threat as Eliot's violence, "you tell us everything we want to know about Max's history and then you leave us alone forever. Trust me, it's a far healthier deal for you."</p>
<p>"Nate," Eliot said, and Max felt the warning in it, "something's wrong here. More wrong than Kovac."</p>
<p>Without breaking character, Nate tipped his head. "How so?"</p>
<p>But it was Branislav who answered. "Virgil and Norman are not of this world. Virgil is not even properly human."</p>
<p>And the illusion that Max's brain had tried so hard to superimpose over the shorter man crumbled, leaving him faced with a person-sized bird wearing a toga.</p>
<p>Max was vaguely aware of the fact that Eliot and Nate beside him were reacting as well, but most of his attention was taken up by a sudden pounding in his skull and a strange dizzying weakness that hit him hard enough to bring him to his knees.</p>
<p>He felt Nate grabbing for him, then nothing.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>"Nothing about this is a good idea."</p>
<p>Nate knew that, but there was also nothing else they could do about it. He sighed and shook his head.</p>
<p>"Just...you know." It was easier to leave unsaid all the other things — keep an eye out, make sure you're watching Max, be ready for anything — than put his worry into words.</p>
<p>Eliot gave him a glare but ducked his chin in a sharp agreement.</p>
<p>Nate turned his attention back to Max, who remained unconscious. He didn't like that the kid wasn't waking up, but there was no physical cause he or Eliot could find. And, given the events of the last few weeks, it could have been pure exhaustion and shock, so Eliot had recommended they not panic just yet. Thus, Max had been stretched out on a couch with a thick blanket thrown over him.</p>
<p>As concerned as he was, Nate was grateful for the reprieve before he'd have to explain things to the kid. Max was not going to appreciate waking up in the house filled with his mom's belongings.</p>
<p>But that was the only choice he could see. When the kid passed out in the street, he and Eliot had been ready to run for it, but the others made it clear they were ready to fight, and neither Nate nor Eliot had liked their chances. Nate couldn't run fast with Max in his arms, and even Kovac and Eliot working together might not have been able to take the guy who shook off a hit into the wall like it was nothing and Max's gym teacher and the...well, that was a different problem. With the rest of the team on comms in his ear and too far away, Nate had made the only reckless agreement he could.</p>
<p>It was a Stall. Keep the mark on the hook, but buy time.</p>
<p>So they agreed, if the others would maintain the tentative truce, to hear whatever they had to say when Max woke up. But they wanted to take the conversation out of the open. And the nearest place was Max's house.</p>
<p>That had been a decision born of desperation. Nate couldn't take them to Annie Croy's base, and didn't want them anywhere near their own B&amp;B. And there wasn't time to clear out a restaurant or another hotel without a lot of questions. But they were right down the road from Max's school and therefore within easy walking distance to his house. And that had the advantage of one other type — if things went sideways and they actually needed cops, it was a different station, different officers who would respond, and Nate had the legal right to throw people off this property now.</p>
<p>But he expected they were in for it when Max woke up.</p>
<p>As much as he hated the idea of bringing them into this mess, he was glad the rest of the team were on the way. If a fight broke out, having Parker around would give them another edge, and a taser, and that would mean there were others who could help get Max to safety and call for help. It was a risk, but Sophie, Parker, and Hardison had made it <em>abundantly clear</em> that they were not staying back if Nate and Max and Eliot were stuck there. Threat or no threat, the team was doing this one together.</p>
<p>At least that also meant he'd have their skills at his side if he needed them. Sophie's read of people, Hardison's ability to find out everything he might need to use against them, Parker's unpredictability — they were weapons as surely as Eliot's fists.</p>
<p>Nate needed every weapon he could get right now.</p>
<p>(Other than the ceremonial daggers Eliot had picked up from where they had been on display in this remarkable house — Nate wasn't sure how many he'd lifted but it was definitely more than two — and the spear within the Hitter's reach as well.)</p>
<p>Kovac had planted himself in the front hallway, his back to this room where Eliot and Nate stood guard over Max. The other three were in the study across the hall. Nate hadn't missed that Kovac's position would allow him to secure them an exit through either the front door or back out through the kitchen, and he appreciated it. He was still going to have words with Eliot about making the choice to trust the mercenary, but for now he had to admit that Eliot's call was the right one. Without Kovac, they might not have had the muscle to back up initiating the Stall.</p>
<p>They'd been at the house for less than half an hour when the rest of the team arrived. Sophie and Hardison walked in the front door, while Parker opted to enter in her own way and remain out of sight in case she was needed for a sneak tasing attack later. The others had maintained their distance for now, but apparently nobody was expecting visitors and they nearly charged into the front hall before Kovac stepped in their way.</p>
<p>"They are the boy's friends," he said, brokering no argument.</p>
<p>The school coach just shrugged, but the other two looked aggravated. Nate could work with that. If they were annoyed, they might not be thinking.</p>
<p>"Oh, Max," Sophie said, moving straight to the boy. She ran her fingers through his hair while looking up to Nate. The expression she had was one of bewilderment. One raised shoulder indicated the short stranger.</p>
<p>Yeah, Nate <em>had no idea.</em></p>
<p>"We should wake him up," came Parker's voice in the comms.</p>
<p>Eliot nodded and moved to the kid's head, Sophie shifting over to make room. He took the kid's pulse, then disappeared into the bathroom off the front hall. He returned with a damp hand towel which he pressed against Max's face.</p>
<p>At once, Max flinched.</p>
<p>"Come on, kid," Nate urged, waving the others back to keep watch. "We're here. Wake up."</p>
<p>Max blinked his eyes slowly, then more quickly as sense flooded back into his eyes. He sat up, rubbing at his head. "Nate? What…?"</p>
<p>"Things are a little strange right now," Nate said. "I need you awake for this."</p>
<p>Max's brain finally woke up enough to realize where he was, and Nate knew that he might well panic again, or break down — and, really, he wouldn't blame the kid if either happened. But he watched the kid take a deep breath and pull himself under control, and a wash of pride could have distracted him except he didn't let it. This kid's resiliency was nothing short of remarkable.</p>
<p>"Okay," Max agreed. He was a little wobbly on his feet, but Eliot held his elbow so Nate was free to lead them into the hall to face the others.</p>
<p>"Let's sit down," Nate said, gesturing to the dining room down the hall. He deliberately turned his back on the strangers, a show of power, and settled himself at the head of the long table. Eliot steered Max to sit at Nate's right hand and planted himself standing between them. Kovac mirrored Eliot's position on the other side of Nate, again taking up a spot that would let him bottleneck the others if they needed a quick escape. Sophie chose to sit across from Max at Nate's left, and Hardison, after a glance at Eliot, sat on Max's right with his laptop at the ready.</p>
<p>The gym teacher looked around, then sat next to Sophie, and Nate didn't need to check Sophie's expression to see that she was slightly relieved. All the signals the gym teacher gave suggested that he was allied with the other two, but not to the point of really threatening Max. Sophie could probably turn him to their side if she got the chance.</p>
<p>The big blond one chose not to sit at all, remaining on his feet and hovering behind the other, who took the opposite end of the table to face Nate.</p>
<p>"Okay," Max spoke up before anyone else could break the tension, "but I gotta know. Does...does anybody else see that?"</p>
<p>It was Coach Norman who spoke. "Most people can't, but when you know to look for it, sometimes you can see through it. Yes, he's not human."</p>
<p>Nate didn't let his own relief show — he didn't want to be dealing with an onset of hallucinations while negotiating, either.</p>
<p>"I am Lemurian," the bird thing said. "My name is Virgil. This is Maximus, the Mighty One, the Chosen Hero whose destiny is to save and preserve the world from all threats."</p>
<p>"I have <em>so many</em> problems with what you just said," Hardison spoke up. "Lemuria's just a myth. Like Mu. A fake continent. Like, are you gonna tell us that Atlantis was real, too?"</p>
<p>"Actually, yes."</p>
<p>"Oh lord." Hardison looked at the ceiling as if for divine assistance; Nate could sympathize.</p>
<p>"None of this matters." Eliot's voice was deep and gravelly. "What do you want with Max?"</p>
<p>"For five thousand years, the Mighty One and I have been charged with ensuring that the world remains in balance. A portion of that balance is defeating various evils that crop up to threaten human existence, but most of it involves preserving the secrecy of everything your species is not supposed to know about. Your people were never meant to interact with magic, or destiny, or the powers of the gods."</p>
<p>Coach Norman flinched. Sophie didn't miss it and levied a look at him until he shrugged.</p>
<p>"I'm human, but ten thousand years ago I made a pact and so I'm the rare exception."</p>
<p>"You," Virgil said with not a little haughtiness, "are the precise <em>reason</em> your species is not suited for this. Everywhere you go, you change history. But, on balance, you fight for good, so I suppose it is not a total loss."</p>
<p>"Excuse me," Hardison said. "So...you fight evil and stuff? Yeah? Then where were you when Hitler showed up? Or Pol Pot? Why didn't you step up <em>then </em>and save the world? How many mass murderers and dictators did you just <em>nap through</em>?"</p>
<p>Nate was perfectly happy to let the Hacker be the irritated one — it allowed him to remain cool and in control.</p>
<p>"Human concerns are rarely ours," Virgil said. "You make your own evils. Our task is to preserve you and this planet from demons and monsters and evil gods."</p>
<p>"Not at all cool, man."</p>
<p>"He's got a point, Virgil," Norman said.</p>
<p>Nate almost smiled as the feathered thing that was probably meant to be a chicken's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.</p>
<p>"Be that as it may, the Mighty One and I have a simple task. As magic fades in this world, we must ensure it does so without coming to light. The balance of powers is very delicate, and any interference may threaten grave danger to the entire world and all who live upon it." Virgil pointed at Max with an accusing, feathered finger. "<em>That boy</em> is currently a risk to all we have fought to preserve."</p>
<p>"Uh, how?" Max asked. "Seriously. I'm...I'm just a kid."</p>
<p>"Sometimes," the one called Maximus spoke up, "a person doesn't have to <em>do</em> anything. Their presence just...causes a disruption. Unless you've been trying to summon demons and haven't told anyone."</p>
<p>Nate realized that the giant man wasn't kidding.</p>
<p>"No." Max shook his head. "No demons. No summoning <em>anything</em>."</p>
<p>Nate glanced over at Kovac. The way this story was dovetailing with his, well, it still didn't make sense, but it certainly bore certain similarities. But Kovac was choosing not to speak up, and Nate didn't want to derail the conversation such as it was by pulling him into it yet. But he couldn't help the nagging sense that he was missing something here.</p>
<p>"Then it is you yourself," Virgil said. "And, therefore, there are only two possible methods to preserve the world."</p>
<p>"Virgil," Coach Norman spoke up, and the way the man was tensing and bristling was enough to send warning flags flying in Nate's brain, "I'm not letting you kill a kid."</p>
<p>Nate bit his tongue to keep from reacting, and only Sophie remained stoic. Nate was glad Eliot was holding onto Max's chair, because that meant he splintered wood and not bone when his hands turned into fists regardless of their grip on anything. Parker, in their comms, made a deranged humming sound and Nate braced for the appearance of a taser.</p>
<p>"Thankfully," Virgil said, and Nate thought he might need to look up the definition of "thankfully" because he didn't really <em>sound</em> grateful, "there is another option. If we take the boy to Stonehenge at the next full moon, the Mighty One may be able to draw out whatever instability is inside the boy's soul and neutralize it."</p>
<p>Nate realized Virgil wasn't saying something, and he could feel his whole team understanding it. Virgil might not be human, but he had nothing on grifting.</p>
<p>If this Stonehenge moon ceremony or whatever it was didn't work, Virgil <em>was </em>planning to kill Max.</p>
<p><em>Over my dead body</em>.</p>
<p>Nate made a tiny movement that held his team in check, but Kovac wasn't his team and also wasn't really looking at him anyway.</p>
<p>"Virgil, do you know me?"</p>
<p>"No."</p>
<p>"Then I ask you, why does your Mighty One not require a Guardian?"</p>
<p>Virgil was visibly surprised at the question. "What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"Was it not destined for Norman to stand as protector to the Mighty One?"</p>
<p>Even Norman looked unsure now. But Virgil shook his head.</p>
<p>"It was a possibility long ago. If events had gone differently, perhaps such could have happened. But the Mighty One was victorious in his battle against Skullmaster, so the paths of destiny were able to unfold unimpeded."</p>
<p>"Well, I do know you, Virgil. And you, Norman. Though not <em>that </em>Mighty One. In another time and place, the Mighty One rose in a boy, and Norman was his first Guardian. But Norman was fated to die, and so I was called as a second Guardian."</p>
<p>"Hmm." Virgil tipped his head to the side, considering. "That would match what some of my scrolls suggested. I wonder...is it possible that you come from an erased timeline? Perhaps in your version of history, events unfolded badly, but were later corrected? And thus we now live in the correct timeline, but there are a few leftover inconsistencies at play? That would explain a great deal."</p>
<p>Nate knew Kovac had said it was an alternate dimension, not a timeline, but apparently the man chose not to explain as much this time. And the fact that he had to think about this stuff was something Nate had not been prepared for at all, but here they were.</p>
<p>"That would make you the Mighty One, then?" Maximus looked at Max.</p>
<p>Max shrugged. "Maybe? But I'm not, so who cares?"</p>
<p>Maximus nodded. "But if you in another future caused fate to be rewritten, that would explain why you are the focus for the current problem. And so we must correct it, or our timeline could be in danger of fracturing."</p>
<p>"And if that happens," Norman said, "then what?"</p>
<p>"There are too many possibilities," Virgil said, waving a hand. "But they all end in a reality that is not stable, and one in which perhaps Skullmaster was never defeated. So that is not a reality we can permit. We must put an end to it before the growing chaos gets worse."</p>
<p>"I'm going to stop you right there," Nate said, deciding his time had come. "First of all, you being...whatever you are...is compelling evidence of <em>something</em>, but you haven't given me a single reason to believe anything else you say. You just threatened my kid and told us you might have to kill him. So I'm not seeing any reason for us to go along with the rest of this."</p>
<p>"Do you not care at all for the security and safety of the world you now know?"</p>
<p>"I can't see how a chicken and some people who have apparently defied the human lifespan think they have anything to do with my son."</p>
<p>"This is why I grow weary of your people," Virgil said, sighing. "You are myopic about the wider affairs of the world."</p>
<p>"To be fair, though," Norman said, "to them, there <em>aren't</em> wider affairs. Just the world they live in."</p>
<p>Nate caught Sophie patting Norman on the arm and wondered how long it would take her to program him, too. But he had to stay focused.</p>
<p>"Not only has Max just lost his mother, but we are in the middle of something which threatens actual human lives. We came here to put a criminal behind bars. Besides Max's wellbeing, that is our first priority. A field trip to Stonehenge to appease a chicken doesn't really make me want to reschedule all my plans."</p>
<p>He allowed his smirk to show at the offended expression on Virgil's face. "I am a fowl, actually."</p>
<p>"Bet you still taste good with barbeque sauce," Hardison muttered.</p>
<p>Max snorted, then covered his mouth with his hands. Even Norman was making a tiny smile.</p>
<p>"Virgil," Maximus put a hand on Virgil's shoulder before the diminutive fowl could respond, "they're sort of right. You're not explaining anything."</p>
<p>"I owe them no explanation."</p>
<p>"And they owe you no compliance."</p>
<p>Nate could see Virgil winding up to yell again, but it was Max who lifted his head and spoke.</p>
<p>"So...you're saying that…" he glanced at Kovac, "something...something magic happened, and I dunno, somehow I had something to do with it, even though I didn't. But because I did, or would have but won't, or however this works, the world is in danger. And you want to...take me to Stonehenge and...drain it out of me or something?"</p>
<p>"That is an inadequate and imprecise retelling, but you are close enough, I suppose," Virgil said, calming.</p>
<p>"Then...if I go with you and you do...whatever this is, you'd leave us alone?"</p>
<p>Nate wanted to interrupt, to make sure his kid wasn't about to try to get away from them to protect them <em>again</em>, but Eliot beat him to it.</p>
<p>"Not alone, Max. Even if we believed any of this, you're not going anywhere without us."</p>
<p>Max looked up at the Hitter and smiled. "Okay."</p>
<p>Nate was going to have to get Eliot to start whittling down that self-sacrificial thing in Max. Apparently it worked with him in a way it didn't with Nate. And he was <em>not</em> looking over at Sophie because her face would tell him exactly why that was and he didn't want to deal with it right now.</p>
<p>"However," Nate said, "you're forgetting something."</p>
<p>He waited until he had everyone's full attention.</p>
<p>"Max is my son. He's a minor. So no matter what you do or don't convince <em>him </em>to do, he doesn't take a step without <em>my </em>permission. And if any of you try to force him, being arrested for kidnapping and custodial interference will be the absolute least of your problems."</p>
<p>Nate knew he didn't imagine Max's relief at that assertion. That, whatever happened next, wasn't actually his choice. None of it rested in his hands, no weight on his back. He was a child, and Nate was his parent, and that was that.</p>
<p>"Then I appeal to you," Virgil said, and Nate relished how frustrated the chicken thing was at having to grovel to him. "Am I enough proof to you that your world is not all that it seems? And if such is true, then it logically follows that what I say is also true and you should heed my advice. I am older than human civilization, and I assure you, I am not wrong that the only course of action which can preserve the safety of this world is to take the boy to Stonehenge."</p>
<p>"That's not how logic works," Hardison put in. "You can't just be all 'because I'm an evolutionary Big Bird knockoff therefore Max is threatening the world by existing.'"</p>
<p>Nate had a bad feeling he knew how this was going to go, but he had to give it a shot.</p>
<p>"Well, you've given us a lot to think about. We'll have to discuss it, of course, and also complete our current business. Give Hardison a way to contact you and we'll reach out when we are ready with an answer."</p>
<p>"No," Maximus said. "This cannot wait."</p>
<p>"And there is no guarantee you will not flee," Virgil put in, glaring at Hardison. "We had enough difficulty finding the boy once. I will not let you take him where we cannot find him and thus endanger the safety of — "</p>
<p>"Safety of the world, blah blah," Hardison said, flapping his hand like a duck beak.</p>
<p>"How long will it take?" Norman asked suddenly. "To finish whatever you're doing?"</p>
<p>"A week," Nate said, deliberately adding several days.</p>
<p>"Then we shall assist you," Virgil said, and Nate wanted to sigh but that would show weakness he couldn't risk right now. "With the Mighty One to join in your endeavor, you are certain to triumph. If it is a simple matter of eliminating a threat…"</p>
<p>"Oh my gosh, quit going straight to eliminating people!" Max yelled, face twisted up in anger. "Is that really how you solve all your problems? March in and hit it until it quits being a problem? Have you even <em>heard</em> of trying to outsmart bad guys?"</p>
<p>He ran a hand over his face.</p>
<p>"If that's really what all this Mighty One stuff is about, I'm feeling pretty good about not being it right now."</p>
<p>Eliot settled a hand on Max's shoulder in comfort, but Nate didn't miss the calculating look on Kovac's face.</p>
<p>He glanced over at Sophie, then Eliot and Hardison. He could spin the situation in his head ten more times, but the steps still played out the same. Their little cold war would only stay cold as long as they maintained a level of detente between their camps. He still didn't really want to try getting away from Virgil, Maximus, and Norman until he was sure they had turned Norman to their side and Kovac could be trusted. Without those two certainties, any fight could go too quickly against them.</p>
<p>Which meant they had to play nice a while longer.</p>
<p>Which meant acquiescing, at least for now, and allowing them to stay close.</p>
<p>On the plus side, that <em>did</em> open a few avenues for Nate. After all, if they were going to get Bakerson arrested and if they were using the FBI to do it, surely Hardison could dig up or invent enough stuff to put the FBI on Norman and Maximus as well. (He wasn't sure about Virgil. <em>Nothing</em> about Virgil made sense in any plan. Dammit.) It might not work, but it would give them an angle to work, anyway. And it would continue the Stall, maybe long enough to fully turn Norman.</p>
<p>Nate had <em>absolutely no intention</em> of bringing Max to Stonehenge. It seemed like an excuse for these people to hurt him anyway, and he wasn't going to play that game.</p>
<p>But if they wanted to be part of the con, well, he wasn't a Mastermind for nothing.</p>
<p>Nate let his dangerous smile unfold in his face, knowing it would signal his team to brace themselves. They were about to team up with another crew, one they couldn't trust, didn't dare let too close, and couldn't avoid. While still playing a dangerous three-pronged con that had gotten all the more problematic with today's bullet burn on his hip.</p>
<p>It was beyond reckless, but all the best jobs always were.</p>
<p>"Well, then," he said, and he enjoyed the fact that Kovac, Norman, Virgil, and Maximus all twitched or flinched at the power he exuded and the dark threat in his grin, "congratulations, gentlemen. You all just became thieves. Now, let's get back to stealing our wyvern."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Raise the Stakes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello friends!</p>
<p>Tonight's chapter's theme is "Seven Devils" by Florence + the Machine. I've used that song in a myriad of stories and it's never let me down.</p>
<p>Fair warning – there's an evil cliffhanger at the end of this chapter. I'm not even a little bit sorry to leave you there, either. And, let's be honest. You knew that going in. It's *me.* Writing *Mighty Max.* Par for the course, folks.</p>
<p>Besides, next week will be SO MUCH WORSE.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"How dare you!"</p>
<p>Eliot levied a glare at the receptionist, a warning that they were wise enough to heed and no one made any move to keep Annie Croy from storming past the empty waiting area into the offices. Doors slammed in her wake, and Eliot had to move fast to stay behind her.</p>
<p>"Excuse me!" Bakerson was saying as he rose from behind the desk in his office. "What is going on here?" Then Annie pushed her way in and his expression went grim. "I see."</p>
<p>"You sent your little peons after Henry Guster! After I gave my word I would handle it!"</p>
<p>"Forgive me, but it's been weeks. That's longer than I find acceptable in waiting for anyone to hold up their end of the bargain."</p>
<p>Eliot positioned himself as he had before, ready to intercept anyone who might come storming in after them, but also where he could get to Annie Croy's side in an instant.</p>
<p>"And a good job you did, I hear!" Annie shot back, radiating anger. "Some real professionals you got working for this outfit, Bakerson."</p>
<p>"Well, since you obviously couldn't handle the job, I was forced to improvise."</p>
<p>"Handle the job? All you did was make a mess out of it. That's two weeks of <em>my</em> work ruined because your little gangsters couldn't wait to be heroes!"</p>
<p>Now Bakerson was looking more interested. "What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"You wanted the DHS out of your way? Fine. Easy enough to do, but you gotta set it up right or you're just inviting his whole office down to find out who bumped him off. You can't just kill the man if you want the heat to disappear. You have to ruin him. Completely discredit him. <em>Then</em> you kill him and it looks like he offed himself to get out of trouble."</p>
<p>Bakerson probably didn't intend to appear as intrigued as he obviously was. "Seems like a lot of work."</p>
<p>"Too right it is, and worth it in the end. I told you I wanted to work with you because you were smart enough to set up shop without getting caught. But if you want to play in the big leagues you gotta play a better game. Now, the good news is that Guster didn't go running back to his friends at the cops or the DHS, and it looks like your hired muscle didn't even hit him so there's no evidence of the shooting attempt."</p>
<p>"There isn't?"</p>
<p>"Course not. What do you think I've been doing since yesterday? Anyway, no evidence means even if he does squeal, he'll look more the fool for it. Nah, by now he's a little scared, and a little paranoid. We can work with that."</p>
<p>"How?"</p>
<p>Eliot could feel Annie Croy's hooks sinking into the man.</p>
<p>"You've got a friend or two in the police out here, yeah?" At his nod, her smile went wide. "Good. Get your people to bring Guster on a bust. Except it ain't a bust — we'll be there ready to take him apart. Then they report to their superiors that Guster went off the deep end while they were following up a lead and," she snapped her fingers, "case closed nice and neat."</p>
<p>"I do like the sound of that."</p>
<p>"Good. Let's get it done tomorrow, then, before he has the chance to go crying to his boss. After that, you owe me a favor for cleaning up your little mess."</p>
<p>Bakerson raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"</p>
<p>"I need to see your operation. I don't care about your distribution channels. But if I'm taking a cut of the product, I want to see the lab."</p>
<p>At the expression on his face, Annie actually laughed.</p>
<p>"You thought I didn't know you were making some on the side with what you get from the drug companies? Doc, like I said, you're in the big leagues now. The reason you're so good is that all your info is clean on paper, including your drug buys from legitimate pharmaceutical sources. But you take those little pills, cut them to make 'em a little more fun, and spread the joy to as many as you can make pay for them. Of course you've got a lab."</p>
<p>For the first time, Bakerson looked a little nervous. "How did you know?"</p>
<p>"How did you think I found you in the first place? Everybody comes to London eventually."</p>
<p>Eliot thought that was no kind of answer, but it seemed to work somehow.</p>
<p>"I appreciate your discretion, of course."</p>
<p>"As I appreciate your willingness to let my group invest some generous donations to your little clinic." Annie Croy's body was easy and relaxed now. "Now that we're back on track, let's handle your DHS problem tomorrow so we can make this partnership lucrative for the both of us."</p>
<p>Bakerson nodded. "Just tell me where to have my associates bring Guster."</p>
<p>"I'll message you the location tonight. Make sure none of your people hang around — we need Guster's end to look self-inflicted, and your little boys and girls aren't that good."</p>
<p>Eliot took that as his cue to clear his throat in a menacing way. Bakerson looked up and quickly decided that he didn't want to argue with her. Eliot was easily more frightening than any of Bakerson's goons — he could see Bakerson's fear and touch of awe before he looked away.</p>
<p>"Very well. And...thank you for your expert handling of this situation. I do apologize for not being more patient and inconveniencing you."</p>
<p>"Quite all right. Everyone makes a few missteps at the beginning of a first dance." Annie Croy held out a hand and Bakerson took it. "Until tomorrow, Doc."</p>
<p>She swept out before he could really bid her farewell. Eliot made a glare at the man before he returned to his place just behind her. By the time they went past the waiting room area, the person at the desk was visibly cowering at the matched maliciousness radiating off them both.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>"I hope you will not take this the wrong way."</p>
<p>Max and Nate exchanged glances, then Nate gestured.</p>
<p>Branislav glanced at the screen currently showing Sophie and Eliot driving away from the clinic.</p>
<p>"That woman is <em>terrifying</em>."</p>
<p>"Yes, she absolutely is," Nate agreed.</p>
<p>"Good thing she's on our side," Max added.</p>
<p>Branislav looked again at Eliot and Sophie, and seemed to shiver. "A very good thing."</p>
<p>"I'm not sure I see any reason for such a reaction," Virgil said from where he was trying to pretend he was ignoring the proceedings while taking over a chair in the corner.</p>
<p>Norman shook his head. "I'm with them," he said, jerking a thumb in Branislav's direction. "Terrifying."</p>
<p>"Terrifying," Maximus said, too. That earned him a glare from Virgil. "What? We both know manipulation is nothing to scoff at in the hands of a master."</p>
<p>"I still fail to see how you are so intimidated by her fairly simple machinations."</p>
<p>"And that," Nate said, "is why I'm Masterminding this con and you're just along for the ride."</p>
<p>Virgil made a noise in the back of his throat and turned his head away to focus on whatever he was reading. But Max caught Norman's eye and received a smile, and even a slight nod from Maximus.</p>
<p>Well, that was something.</p>
<p>Nate, in the meantime, thought maybe it wasn't just Eliot rubbing off on the kid. The in-group tricks Max was playing on all of them were top-notch. Sophie had Kovac mostly programmed to her satisfaction now and Norman had almost entirely turned to their side as well after appealing to his status as an advocate for kids. But it seemed Max was no slouch in earning his own allies and wrapping them in webs they didn't see coming.</p>
<p>He wondered if he should start Max sitting down with Parker next.</p>
<p>Then scratched that idea. Parker would take Max to jump off buildings.</p>
<p>Even if Max was ready for that, Nate was <em>not.</em> Maybe not ever.</p>
<p>But he made a mental note to get Parker to start taking the kid through some more sleight of hand, a couple lifts, and a little more advanced lockpicking. Just in case.</p>
<p>It wasn't like the kid wouldn't need the skills as he grew up in their world.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>"So…" Hardison wasn't even trying to talk to Virgil anymore because that guy was surlier than Nate trying to go sober, but Maximus seemed okay. "How do you do all your...world saving? Phenomenal cosmic powers?"</p>
<p>"Something like that."</p>
<p>But Maximus's face was open, even if Virgil was now stalking out of the room to go be a grump elsewhere, so Hardison pressed on. "Are we talking Harry Potter magic, or is this more like The Force?"</p>
<p>"Neither. Most of what we handle is just...ensuring that bad things stay contained so they don't leak out into your world."</p>
<p>"So...kinda Ghostbusters, then?"</p>
<p>"Sure."</p>
<p>"On average, is it like a weekly thing? A couple times a year?"</p>
<p>"In the aftermath of the great battle five thousand years ago, it was a constant problem of evils and monsters popping up in every corner of the globe. I don't think we had a moment of peace for the better part of a century. It's been slowing down since then, so we need only act once every few months or so."</p>
<p>"And the bad stuff, what, just happens wherever you are?"</p>
<p>"No, we travel the world still." Maximus reached into the folds of his jacket and pulled out a red hat. "This allows us to move from place to place instantaneously through a network of portals. However, as magic fades, so does its power. We try not to use it unless there is no choice. If we can take human transport, it saves the Cap's strength for when we have a true emergency."</p>
<p>Hardison was staring at the floppy cloth thing that was apparently magic. "With your hat?"</p>
<p>"Cosmic Cap."</p>
<p>"Whatever. Magic hat that opens portals? That's pretty cool. The Force would be better, though."</p>
<p>Maximus chuckled. "Being named in prophecy is enough power to do what needs doing, apparently. Other than the Cap and being like Norman — long lived and a little more resilient than the average person — I'm fairly normal."</p>
<p>"That's even worse. It's like...asking Han Solo to fight a Sith Lord. Shouldn't you get powers besides your TARDIS hat to help you out?"</p>
<p>"I guess that's not how it works. Good must be fought for without the aid of any supernatural magics if we are to suppress it and allow the world to move forward freely."</p>
<p>"Raw deal." Hardison shook his head. "Still cool, but a raw deal."</p>
<p>"Some days, I agree."</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>"I'm just saying." Parker glared at Branislav. "One move and I tase you until your toes turn blue."</p>
<p>Max looked up at her. "Could that really happen?"</p>
<p>"I dunno. But if he becomes a problem, we'll find out. Okay?" She grinned.</p>
<p>"You are <em>way</em> too happy about that," Max told her. Parker only grinned harder.</p>
<p>Branislav held up his hands. "I will not break the trust given to me. I understand the importance of this act, and with Eliot called upon to play his part, there is nowhere I would rather be than guarding Max."</p>
<p>"Still not clear on that part," Max said. "But every time those other guys or Coach start trying to explain it, I just get a headache, so I've decided not to care anymore."</p>
<p>"That's what Sophie's been doing," Parker said. "She says Virgil doesn't make any sense, so she's basically trying to pretend he doesn't exist."</p>
<p>Max still sometimes wanted to ask Branislav about it all — about the fact that he'd said they came from another world where Virgil and Norman were his friends, that they should have known him, that they all needed to remember stuff — but he also really didn't. It was hard enough accepting that Virgil wasn't human. That something was going on and he was in the middle of it. Branislav's version of the story didn't make any more or less sense, and Max just didn't want to try to figure out which, if either, was true anymore.</p>
<p>He had decided that none of it mattered. Apparently there was already a Mighty One and that person was Maximus and he was perfectly suited for the heroing gig. After they finished the con and maybe went to Stonehenge (or maybe left Virgil and his friends in the dust — Max didn't think Nate had decided yet), he would be okay if Branislav went back to wherever he belonged with those other guys instead. Max wasn't a hero, but at least here he had a place. He wasn't alone here. If there even was another world, it could probably get on better with Maximus anyway.</p>
<p>Or they were all four of them completely crazy. That was as likely as anything else. Different strains of crazy intersecting and making one big crazy mess together, and fixating on him for some reason.</p>
<p>Well, whatever it was, Max knew where he belonged. And even <em>if</em> Branislav was right and Virgil was supposed to be his friend — fat chance, that guy was a jerk and a half — he had Maximus.</p>
<p>But Max was starting to feel a little better around Branislav. Eliot had vouched for the guy, and Sophie had, <em>somehow,</em> gotten the guy to make her tea every couple of hours, and even Nate wasn't looking over his shoulder at Branislav the way he was the other three. So Max felt like it was okay to let his guard down a little. Especially with Parker around ready and willing to tase him again.</p>
<p>Max was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening.</p>
<p>"Quiet on the set, everybody," Sophie whispered into comms. "Curtain goes up now."</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Eliot waited in the shadows. He had stopped listening to words, focused only on the sounds of voices and breathing over the comms. He didn't need to know what story the police moles were spinning for Nate, or how stupid he sounded believing them. He just needed to feel the cadence of the exchange. That would be enough.</p>
<p>He heard Annie Croy moving around, bracing herself for her part in it.</p>
<p>And then Nate walked all the way into the abandoned warehouse they were using for the ambush.</p>
<p>Forcing down everything but the job before him, Eliot <em>moved</em>.</p>
<p>Ten running steps to where the dirty cops were stepping back, leaving Nate exposed.</p>
<p>A grab, wrapping an arm around Nate's throat and dragging him down, closer to Eliot's level.</p>
<p>The other hand pulling out a gun from beneath the folds of his jacket.</p>
<p>The muzzle of the gun pointed unerringly up under Nate's jaw.</p>
<p>A single shot.</p>
<p>A spray of red.</p>
<p>And he let Nate fall to the ground.</p>
<p>Eliot looked up, body tense and ready to spring. But Annie Croy was already sailing in from her hiding spot off to the side.</p>
<p>"And that," she said, "is how you make it look real." She swaggered over to the crumpled body and gave it a solid kick.</p>
<p>The three dirty cops had slightly wide eyes, and Eliot glared at them. He let menace and threat roll off him in waves. The cops had to watch him, their instincts screaming that he was the threat. It kept their attention on him.</p>
<p>Annie Croy ignored them all, angling her phone for an artful shot of the body lying on the ground with a trickle of blood under the chin. She took several until she was happy, then sent it off.</p>
<p>"There," she said. "Proof of our end of the deal. Tell your boss I'll be waiting for his call."</p>
<p>The three cops were still staring at Eliot, and Annie cleared her throat loudly, startling them.</p>
<p>"I thought I made it clear for you lot to bunk out. Can't have your <em>upstanding</em> reputations tarnished by contaminating the scene. Now, shoo."</p>
<p>Eliot intensified his glare and watched as the cops decided their survival was contingent upon following orders and they beat a quick retreat. Annie set about texting, as if standing over a dead body was nothing, but Eliot kept his eyes on the door even after it closed.</p>
<p>"They're heading out," Hardison reported over the comms a minute or two later. "Looking rattled as heck, by the way, so good job on that."</p>
<p>Finally, <em>finally</em>, Nate rolled over and sat up. Sophie already had a handkerchief out, and Nate rubbed at the spray of fake blood Eliot had loaded in the muzzle of the gun.</p>
<p>"Well, that went well," Sophie said, her voice light. "Though you could have chosen a more dramatic pose when you hit the ground, Nate. You looked a bit crumpled."</p>
<p>"Yeah, going limp like death isn't supposed to be artful," Nate shot back.</p>
<p>And Eliot was glad they gave him a moment just to breathe. To swallow. To drag in air that smelled like fake blood without enough of the coppery scent of the real thing. To keep his hands closed at his sides so they didn't shake.</p>
<p>He would tell Nate later, but he had already decided that he was <em>never </em>doing this again. If somebody was going to pretend to shoot anybody, it would have to be somebody else. Eliot would not raise a gun against the team ever again even if it was fake. He understood why this job needed it, demanded it — it was in the role he had to play for Annie Croy and the tale she had spun. And it was a safer option than pretending to strangle Nate, especially given the height difference. But still. <em>Never again</em>.</p>
<p>Now his part was done. Hardison and that coach would eventually do the medical examiner thing, making sure to take the "body" to the county morgue and ensuring that the paperwork got mussed enough that even if the cops got really curious they'd never sort it out in time. Normally they'd have sent Parker, but with that bird still making a face at Max every time they were in the same room, nobody wanted to leave the kid without protection.</p>
<p>Speaking of which…</p>
<p>Eliot traded a look with Nate which was enough for Nate and Sophie to send him off. They would stay put with Hardison keeping a digital eye out until it was reasonable to call in Guster's "suicide." But Eliot's part was done, and so as long as he remained close enough in case something unexpected happened, he could step away.</p>
<p>Parker, Kovac, and Max were all a few buildings over, close enough for Eliot to feel okay about the kid's safety but far enough away that there was no way to connect him or Parker to the con. Eliot would wait there with them until Guster's "body" was being processed and they could set up the last phase of the con.</p>
<p>A giant shadow loomed in front of Eliot and he braced himself for a fight, not relaxing a split-second later when he realized it was Coach Norman before him.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry."</p>
<p>That...was nothing at all Eliot could have expected. He frowned and waited.</p>
<p>"No one should have to learn to fight like that."</p>
<p>"Not your fault," Eliot said, moving to brush past him. But Norman held out a hand.</p>
<p>"I've been fighting battles for ten thousand years. I've shed more blood than I can remember, and I've seen more people fall down into darkness than I could tell you. It's a rare person who becomes what you are, and then becomes better."</p>
<p>Eliot swallowed, aware of the breathless silence on the comms and hating it.</p>
<p>"I can't save everyone," Norman said. "I'm sorry you had to save yourself." Then he gave a small smile. "But you should know...in ten thousand years, I've only seen a handful of warriors as good as you, and fewer than that with your true spirit. It's a good thing the others are out of the game. I'm not sure how many of them could beat you."</p>
<p>"Others?" he asked without meaning to.</p>
<p>"Beowulf, Mujaji, even Hanuman. You're that good, Eliot Spencer."</p>
<p>"Told you," Parker whispered in his comms.</p>
<p>That made Eliot raise his head in challenge. "Better than you?"</p>
<p>Norman chuckled. "I would love to find out someday."</p>
<p>And Eliot smiled. "Thanks."</p>
<p>He made his way back to Max, Parker, and Kovac with a lighter heart. Parker gushed at him, while Kovac didn't meet his eyes, but eventually Max interrupted Parker's Parker-ness.</p>
<p>"Can I ask you something? Um, in private?"</p>
<p>"Sure," he said. He gave Parker a look and she turned her attention to poking and prodding at Kovac which was probably not a good idea, but she didn't seem likely to stop any time soon — and, to his credit, Kovac was handling it with a certain amount of patience. So Eliot led Max out the door of the deserted building and around a blind corner to where there was a stand of trees blocked from sight in all directions.</p>
<p>"What's up?"</p>
<p>Max was looking at his hands. He let out a breath, and when his eyes came up, Eliot was surprised to see they had tears standing in them.</p>
<p>"Eliot, I'm scared."</p>
<p>"Scared of what?"</p>
<p>"I...we still don't know how I learned to fight. Those guys...even with Virgil being what he is, they're still crazy, and maybe Branislav is, too. At least he could explain how I learned it. But I still...I have this...these instincts. What if...what if I'm dangerous?"</p>
<p>"Like I'm dangerous," Eliot said.</p>
<p>Max nodded. "But you can control it."</p>
<p>"So can you, kid." And without warning, Eliot aimed a strike at Max's face, holding back his speed only a little.</p>
<p>Max caught the hand in a perfect block, twisting to pull Eliot off-balance and his feet already moving to escape. But he jerked in surprise before he took a step.</p>
<p>"You don't hurt people, Max," Eliot said before the kid could take his reaction the wrong way. "Look. Everything you do instinctively comes down to self-defense and evasion. You know how to fight, we both know that. But you only do that on purpose."</p>
<p>Max was trembling a little.</p>
<p>Eliot reached over and pulled out the kid's comm, then his own.</p>
<p>"Max, what are you really afraid of?"</p>
<p>He didn't imagine the relief that flickered over the kid's face knowing they had privacy.</p>
<p>"Everything feels so <em>wrong</em>." It burst out of him like rushing water behind a dam. "First mom…" he gulped, "and then those guys. And Virgil's not human and it shouldn't be possible. And Branislav says we're still from another universe but Virgil says it's a different timeline and either way <em>all of it is my fault</em> and I just...I'm scared!"</p>
<p>"Max…"</p>
<p>"Virgil wants me to go to Stonehenge but he also wants to kill me, and Nate won't let him and you won't let him and I know all that...but I'm scared they're going to hurt you to get at me, and I don't...I don't want to be in the middle of this anymore!" And he was crying now. "I just...I just want…"</p>
<p>"It's okay to still want your mom," Eliot said as softly as he could.</p>
<p>Max nodded, tears coursing down his cheeks. "I <em>do </em>want mom. And...if I can't have mom, then...then I want you guys. You and Nate and Sophie and Parker and Hardison...but Branislav keeps saying I can't stay here, and Virgil and Maximus are going to kill me and…"</p>
<p>"<em>Nobody</em> is killing you, Max," Eliot swore. And he hauled the kid against him in a hug. "<em>Nobody</em>. And they won't kill me or Nate or anybody else either. We've got you, and we'll protect you."</p>
<p>"Nate got <em>shot</em> because of me!" Max cried. "Because you all stopped to take care of me! It's my fault! All of it! And if you get hurt now, it'll be my fault, too!" He pounded a fist on Eliot's chest with only a little strength behind it. "You should have let me run away! You should have let Virgil and Maximus have me! I'm not worth anything, and I'm going to get you all hurt!"</p>
<p>And his sobbing took over.</p>
<p>Eliot held the kid tight, sighing. He should have realized that listening to Nate get shot, even if it was fake, even if he had seen the gun Eliot personally rigged, would be too much for him. Max had been through more than anybody's share — to bring up all those feelings on a kid still under so much shadow was a mistake. But he was right about one thing — the team <em>was </em>having trouble splitting their focus. Every time Nate or Sophie or anybody else tried to do the con, they let Max slip a little. And every time they put their energy back into him, the con went sideways. And now that they had the crazy bunch and one non-human thing breathing down their necks, it was getting worse.</p>
<p>This was why people like them didn't live normal lives. It wasn't possible to do what they did and keep anything like a family or a kid. Eliot had learned that lesson long ago.</p>
<p>Max was starting to tire, so Eliot waited until the crying had run its course. As Max calmed, he ran his hand over the boy's head.</p>
<p>"I got three things to say, but only when you're ready."</p>
<p>Max gulped, swallowed hard, and looked up, eyes drowning in blue.</p>
<p>Eliot maintained his grip on Max, bracing him by the shoulder while cradling his head.</p>
<p>"First, I'm sorry we haven't talked with you about Nate getting shot. We should have. And no matter what you think about it, it's <em>not </em>your fault. Nate's had worse than that, and he's fine. You can be mad at him for not anticipating it, or at me for not protecting him, but not at yourself. We made our choices. We don't regret them. Neither should you."</p>
<p>Max opened his mouth to argue, but Eliot shook his head.</p>
<p>"Second, I know you're scared. And I know you don't want us to get hurt. But we chose that risk a long time ago when we started this whole thing. We did <em>not </em>choose to get rid of you, though. Even if you weren't here, we would still be in danger. That's why we're a team, Max. We are all safer when we protect each other. And that includes you."</p>
<p>Now Eliot took a deep breath. He could only hope this got through to the kid.</p>
<p>"Third. I know why you're so scared. It's more than worrying about us. It's because you feel helpless. That's why you tried to run off. Why you keep trying to push us away. Because you don't feel that you contribute anything, so you don't have any control. And it's like with your mom all over again. You weren't there, so you couldn't help her. And being helpless...that's the worst feeling in the world."</p>
<p>Max nodded.</p>
<p>"So I'm going to tell you something Nate would kill me if he knew I was telling you. But I think you need to hear it. Just, let's keep this between us for now."</p>
<p>The interest budding in Max's face replaced some of the pain, and Eliot took that as a victory in itself.</p>
<p>"There is always something you can do. Always. Might not be obvious, but there's something. We all have our roles to play, but you've watched us. You know Nate is grifting as much as he is being the Mastermind, right? Because we all contribute, even if we do it in our own way."</p>
<p>"But…"</p>
<p>"Maybe you can't fight the bad guys for us." Eliot bit back that he would let Max go into a fight over his dead body, because Max already had, <em>twice</em>, and this wasn't the time for those feelings. "But there is always something you can do. You're smart, and you know how to get under people's skin. And I'm pretty sure I saw you picking some of Parker's harder locks."</p>
<p>"Yeah, but…"</p>
<p>"And, most of all, you want to help people. You're willing to sacrifice yourself for us, which, by the way, you're not doing while I'm here, but that...Max, you're a kind person. Just that, just <em>being</em> that helps us. As long as you are here with us, as long as you're trying your best, as long as you're <em>taking care of yourself</em> because we care about you, you're not helpless. Every fight you win against your own fear is a fight you win for us."</p>
<p>He tugged Max back into the hug.</p>
<p>"Just keep fighting, Max. Fight for yourself. And that helps us more than anything, because when you're okay, so are we. Not because you're a burden when you're not okay, but because you being okay makes us <em>better</em>."</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Virgil stood impatiently in a back hallway, the Mighty One still and calm beside him. He was finding it beyond tiresome to deal with this whole situation. Saving the world should be a priority for every being who lived upon it, but these people absolutely refused to see it that way. As if the doings of a corrupt doctor could ever matter against the scale of all existence!</p>
<p>But he'd voiced those feelings several times in the last three days, and even the Mighty One's patience appeared to be wearing thin. So, for now, he would keep his thoughts to himself and just go with what little they had been asked to do.</p>
<p>Virgil had, in fact, paid attention to the plan Nate Ford outlined for how to deal with their "mark" as they called him, but he simply opted not to care very much about it. He could acknowledge that the setup was a bit clever — the moving parts would circle the doctor rather elegantly, and by the time Bakerson realized he was in danger, the authorities would have him. To compensate for the problem of other players in the game, and other key locations, a cheap laptop had been produced by the one named Hardison that would contain all the evidence necessary to satisfy any legal system since Hammurabi.</p>
<p>The fact that two members of Nate Ford's organization could counterfeit membership in the FBI certainly helped — without that, Virgil wasn't sure this particular plan would work well. But, perhaps that was why he planned it that way.</p>
<p>Both he and the Mighty One had declined the use of the little in-ear communicators, Virgil quite confident that he could anticipate when they would be called upon to play their part if needed without the prattle from the others serving as a constant annoyance. He knew perfectly well that Nate Ford had placed them here as a secondary or even tertiary option, and he did not expect that they would need to do more than strategically block a door.</p>
<p>Virgil <em>also</em> knew that, if there was a way, Nate Ford would sic the FBI on himself and the Mighty One as well. He had no doubt that enough evidence had been invented or mis-attributed to ensure their arrest. But he calculated that Nate Ford would not use such tonight unless prompted.</p>
<p>Nate Ford seemed like the sort of person who would sell out an ally if it would serve his higher purpose, and Virgil was certain he and the Mighty One did not even count as an ally.</p>
<p>The Mighty One kept reminding Virgil that he could not blame the man for being protective of a child who had recently lost his mother, especially given how much he clearly cared for the boy. The entire group of them, with the exception of the supposed second Guardian, seemed to function more like a family than a den of thieves; but Virgil could believe that even villains might have morals, as long as they were human. After all, even when they were evil, humans still often had something resembling a conscience. It was something that set their human adversaries above demons and certain demigods.</p>
<p>Virgil leaned over to tap the Mighty One on the arm; if events unfolded in such a way that required their input, it would occur now.</p>
<p>The quiet activity from the adjoining rooms had gone still, followed by an explosion of shouting, running, fighting, things crashing, and a few gunshots.</p>
<p>The door next to the Mighty One began to open. Without waiting for instructions, the Mighty One leaned over and slammed the door into the encroaching person's head, then shoved them back in the room and pulled it shut once more. This seemed to be sufficient, as the commotion died down shortly thereafter and Virgil was able to guide the Mighty One away from the building with ease.</p>
<p>"Mighty One," he said as they made their way to the meet-up point, "be prepared."</p>
<p>"For what, Virgil?"</p>
<p>"Now that the...<em>job</em> is over, we may find that the boy's protectors will not be so agreeable. We may have to take drastic action."</p>
<p>"Virgil, you know I will do whatever you ask of me. But he is just a child. We cannot be too hasty with his life."</p>
<p>Virgil sighed, grateful for the humanity of the Chosen One, but exasperated, too. "You know as well as I that what is destined must be. If it is the boy's destiny to die, then he must die. Neither of us can go against our fate, no matter how distasteful we find it."</p>
<p>"But you don't know it's the boy's fate to die," the Mighty One said. "You can't know that, not until we reach Stonehenge and attempt to draw out whatever forces gather around him."</p>
<p>"You are correct. Then we must make the journey regardless of the permission of the others. Do you think the Cap has enough power?"</p>
<p>"We haven't used it lately, so I should think so."</p>
<p>"Good. Then I suggest we wait until their guards are lowered. Soon they will go to bed and we will have but one or two of them to manage. Then we take the boy. The full moon is only a night away, so we will have to be careful if they follow us, but their travel will be hampered without the use of the Cap. By my calculations, the full moon will rise before they can interfere."</p>
<p>"Very well."</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Nate and Eliot exchanged glances. For as high and mighty as he pretended to be, Virgil was apparently blind to even simple tricks, including planting a bug. But Nate had asked Hardison to keep the audio from the bugs on both Virgil and Maximus playing only so he and Eliot could listen — he didn't want Hardison and Parker distracted while dancing for the FBI, and he didn't want Max to hear.</p>
<p>That foresight was playing well with the current situation. Though it did mean that Nate had to deal with the near-murderous look on Eliot's face without any backup.</p>
<p>To be fair, he was right there with him. For these two to be so casually discussing kidnapping his kid, well, Nate was having a hard time remembering why he should hold Eliot back from the violence he clearly wanted to unleash.</p>
<p>"Easy," he said, and he didn't know if he was saying it for Eliot or himself. "They'll never get near him."</p>
<p>"Nate."</p>
<p>And that was the voice Eliot had used on the job where a little girl got kidnapped for ransom, the voice that meant Eliot was ready to take a fight seriously in a way he rarely showed. The voice that meant he was looking for Nate to either hold back his leash or let it fly and watch the consequences fall where they may. And Nate just wasn't sure if he would in the moment, be able to hold the leash.</p>
<p>And, reading Eliot's face, he wasn't sure if Eliot would really allow himself to be held back, either.</p>
<p>They had to solve this now, before either of them were faced with a decision they might not be able to live with afterwards.</p>
<p>Nate and Eliot were clear of the cleanup, but Parker and Hardison would be involved for a while unless they extracted them. However, it sounded like Virgil wouldn't try to move until they let their guard down. And that should buy them a few more hours of the Stall.</p>
<p>But they needed to be ready.</p>
<p>So Nate turned away, letting the cold focus of the Mastermind wash over him.</p>
<p>"Hardison, Parker, finish up as fast as you can. Invent an emergency if you have to. We need you and Norman back at the hotel. Sophie, get to Max and Kovac and don't let either of them out of your sight."</p>
<p>"Nate, what's wrong?" Sophie asked.</p>
<p>He felt Eliot come up behind him, tension radiating off the Hitter.</p>
<p>"We are on a reset."</p>
<p>Nate and Eliot began making their way back towards the hotel themselves, leaving Parker and Hardison to pick up Lucille and follow them. They kept quiet so those two could focus on unspooling whatever story would cut them loose. They were on the road when Sophie made a small noise of distress.</p>
<p>"Sophie?" Nate asked, heart sinking.</p>
<p>"It can't be them," Eliot said from behind the wheel of the rented car. "Tracker showed them too far out."</p>
<p>"Nate," Sophie whispered, "hurry."</p>
<p>"What is it? What's going on?"</p>
<p>Nate realized he hadn't heard a peep from Max or Kovac in several minutes. Not just their stilted chatter, but any sounds from their comms as well.</p>
<p>As soon as that thought passed through his mind, there was the clearing of an unknown throat over the comms.</p>
<p>"Good evening," said a strange man's voice. "It seems the boy did not heed my warning. And now someone will get hurt. My apologies for the mess."</p>
<p>There was a gunshot, then silence.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. When Ashes Fall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Still technically Monday. So there ha.</p>
<p>Hey, friends? This chapter is nothing but angst and unhappiness and suffering. Just…know that. Okay? Read with care if tragedy and pain isn't good for you today.</p>
<p>The song for this chapter is "When Legends Rise" by Godsmack.</p>
<p>Enjoy?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Max and Branislav had been discussing, of all things, video games. It was a safe topic, and though Max was no expert, at least it gave him something to do in the otherwise barren room.</p>
<p>But the workout space in the little hotel made strategic sense, and he knew why Eliot had suggested that be where he hunkered down during the last phase of the con. It was empty and boring, but it was also windowless and with a single exit, which meant anyone intending Max trouble would have to get him through most of the building before they could take him anywhere.</p>
<p>And while Max and Eliot were increasingly comfortable with Branislav, none of them trusted Virgil and Maximus, so this served as an extra level of protection. Because assuming Branislav wasn't the one trying to get Max somewhere, it gave him a secure room in which to protect the boy.</p>
<p>They were both on comms, so they were able to listen in on the bust led by Parker and Hardison as FBI agents. Bakerson had shown the whole lab to Sophie earlier in the day, so all they'd needed to do was lure him back to it with a text and make sure the laptop full of evidence was in place before letting the authorities do all the cleanup. Besides Parker and Hardison, Nate and Eliot were on site to help out if stuff went sideways with the con, and Coach Norman, Virgil, and Maximus had been recruited as additional backup. Though Max knew Nate had placed the latter two pretty far from the action and possibly where they might get caught up in the arrests.</p>
<p>But, from the chatter over comms, it seemed like Nate hadn't yet decided to go that route.</p>
<p>Suddenly Branislav reached into his ear and removed his comm, tucking it in a pouch hanging off his vest. He gestured to Max to do the same.</p>
<p>Max hesitated. He was starting to trust Branislav more, but separating from the team…</p>
<p>"Please," Branislav said gently.</p>
<p>Max's hands shook a little, but he pulled out his own comm and stuck it in a pocket.</p>
<p>"I...I know you don't believe me," Branislav said, "but I have not lied to you. You are the true Mighty One, not Maximus. And we belong in another world, all of us."</p>
<p>"But nobody remembers it, or even wants that," Max said. "Virgil...you said he was my friend, but he has Maximus, and I'm not sure how we could even <em>be </em>friends."</p>
<p>"He is different there," Branislav said.</p>
<p>Max shrugged. "And Coach Norman is okay, but he's not...whatever you think you are. I guess he's different too?"</p>
<p>Branislav nodded.</p>
<p>"They have lives here. They have stuff to do and a place they fit. Maybe...maybe it's just you that's lost. And you need to go back and find your version of everybody."</p>
<p>"No." Branislav shut his eyes. "There is no other version of you, M-Max. You are the one to whom my loyalty is owed, the one I will protect until the end of my days."</p>
<p>"I didn't...I didn't ask you to. I don't even want to be the Mighty One," Max said. "Can't you just...be something else? Or go back on your own?"</p>
<p>"I cannot," Branislav said, and he was deeply sad. "I am your Guardian. We are bound by powers that are beyond what either of us truly understand. And...you are my only hope."</p>
<p>"Hope for what?"</p>
<p>"You promised once to save me from the evil I allowed into my soul. Here, in this world, that evil cannot reach me. But once we return, it will again attempt to consume me and I will lose myself. I will be a threat to you and all you stand for." His broad face cracked and Max realized it was grief. "If I have a selfish reason, it is that. The world needs you as Mighty One, and I do as well."</p>
<p>"But if you didn't go back and you stayed here, you'd be safe, too," Max said.</p>
<p>"True. But I cannot do that. It would be easier, and perhaps kinder to myself. But it would also be wrong, and I cannot ignore it. You are needed, whether you know it or not. And if you remembered yourself, you would know that."</p>
<p>He dropped to a knee before Max.</p>
<p>"You have been through more pain than your share, but you have always risen above it. You have shown courage when even the strongest of warriors would cower. You have stood against villains with the power to crack the world in two and you have triumphed. You have more power than you realize, Mighty One, and I cannot rest until you remember."</p>
<p>Max's voice was small and almost desperate. "But <em>why</em>?"</p>
<p>"Because," Bran said, and there was a different kind of grief in his eyes, "you would never forgive yourself otherwise. As you tried to help me out of darkness, I must do the same for you. Were you yourself, Mighty One, you could do no less than return to where you are needed."</p>
<p>Max swallowed against a lump in his throat.</p>
<p>"How sweet."</p>
<p>Max and Branislav both spun in alarm at the unknown voice, the mercenary grabbing for Max and shoving him behind his body for protection.</p>
<p>In a corner of the room near the door, a figure stood. It took Max a moment to place the rail-thin figure in the long, dark coat. He wasn't wearing a hat this time, and the points of his beard seemed sharper than Max remembered, but that was the person who had spoken to Max on the street the day he learned his mother had died.</p>
<p>He hadn't thought of him even once since then, but now he remembered with a flush of panic the man's threat — or maybe it had been a warning.</p>
<p>"Who are you?" Branislav demanded.</p>
<p>"Now, now." The man raised a gun and pointed it in their direction. "First, boy, remove your little communication device and throw it to me."</p>
<p>Max glanced up, and Branislav nodded. He dug it out of his pocket and tossed it in the man's direction. It skidded on the floor for the last few yards, eventually rolling nearly to his feet. Without ever taking his eyes off Branislav and Max, the man picked up the comm in the hand not holding the gun.</p>
<p>"Good. Now, I believe we need wait only a moment."</p>
<p>"Wait for what?" Max asked, and he tried so hard to sound brave.</p>
<p>"You didn't think I was unaware of the last person set to guard you, did you? But she will arrive shortly."</p>
<p>"And then what do you intend?" Branislav pressed, holding onto Max with a grip that was tight, but not too tight.</p>
<p>"Boy, what did I say to you when we met before?"</p>
<p>"I...I don't…"</p>
<p>"Ah, yes. You've been rather distracted since then. I warned you that if you continued to be so foolish, someone would be hurt. And now that time has come."</p>
<p>"What do you want with him?" The snarl in Branislav's tone reminded Max of Eliot.</p>
<p>"It's not personal. And I do find such measures distasteful. But there is no help for it." He looked up, and Max realized the man's eyes were black, blacker than any darkness he'd ever seen, glittering like obsidian in the sun. "I need the boy to suffer and die."</p>
<p>"<em>Never</em>."</p>
<p>Sophie burst into the room then, and the man's gun moved to her instead.</p>
<p>"Sophie," Max whispered, full of fear. "Sophie, run."</p>
<p>"Nate," Sophie said, eyes wide, "hurry."</p>
<p>Time seemed to freeze. The man's gun remained trained on Sophie and he smiled, cold and chilling.</p>
<p>"Perhaps I will teach you a lesson first, child."</p>
<p>Max felt a helpless sound rise in his chest, a keening whine he couldn't have controlled if his life depended on it. But it wasn't <em>his</em> life that did.</p>
<p>"Mighty One," Branislav said, low and meant only for Max. "Do not be afraid. And don't hesitate."</p>
<p>Before Max could ask what he meant, he felt himself gathered up under Branislav's arm as the man charged. An instant later, Branislav dropped Max almost into Sophie's arms, placing himself between them both and the stranger.</p>
<p>The stranger shook his head and clucked his tongue at them. "If you wish to delay, then I am content to draw this out as long as you like."</p>
<p>He held up the comm and slipped it into his own ear.</p>
<p>"Good evening," he said. "It seems the boy did not heed my warning. And now someone will get hurt. My apologies for the mess."</p>
<p>He fired.</p>
<p>Somehow, that didn't stop Branislav, who rushed at the man anyway. But Max felt Sophie pulling him away and using the moment of distraction to get him out of the room. Max looked back in time to see Branislav taking a swing, his chest a mess of blood.</p>
<p>They were out the door when the unmistakable sound of a heavy body hitting the floor and coughing up liquid followed them into the hallway.</p>
<p>"S-Sophie," Max gasped.</p>
<p>"Just run," Sophie said. "Nate, Nate can you still hear me?" She glanced at Max. "Something happened. I can't hear them anymore."</p>
<p>Max was going to say something, but his instincts blared at him. He pulled sideways, hard, and Sophie fell with him halfway into the stairwell.</p>
<p>An instant later, the man stood over them both. He gave that cold smile again and lifted the gun.</p>
<p>Somehow, Sophie managed to get out from under Max, and she threw herself at the man's legs. He barely seemed to notice, shrugging off her attempt and bringing the grip of the gun down on her head. Sophie crumpled without a sound and fell still.</p>
<p>"Pathetic."</p>
<p>Max scrambled to his feet. "D-don't hurt her!"</p>
<p>"Oh, so you have some courage after all. Painfully little, but annoying enough." He tipped his head. "What would you do to keep her alive, boy? Would you die quietly?"</p>
<p>"I…" and he knew that everyone would hate his answer, but it was the only one he had to give. "Yes."</p>
<p>"Very well. But first, there are a few others I'd like to remove, and you make such a lovely incentive."</p>
<p>Suddenly a light burst in the air beside them, a swirling vortex of color and energy and Max slammed his hands against his ears and bent almost double at the rush of pain and dizziness that came with it.</p>
<p>"Ah, here they are."</p>
<p>Maximus and Virgil appeared out of the light, both shifting from grim determination to sudden surprise at the sight of Sophie on the ground and Max cowering before the stranger.</p>
<p>But thousands of years of experience gave them both an edge. Maximus ran for the stranger while Virgil wrapped a feathered hand around Max's arm and pulled him. Max ran blindly after Virgil, letting himself be drawn out of the downstairs and all the way to the kitchen.</p>
<p>"Just give me a moment," Virgil said, drawing a scroll out of his robes. "I need to locate the nearest portal."</p>
<p>"Portal? Wait, we can't leave Sophie down there! And Bran!"</p>
<p>"We can and we will," Virgil returned. "Any loss of life is tragic, but we have larger matters to consider."</p>
<p>Max was winding up to argue, but Maximus burst into the room, blood raining down one leg.</p>
<p>"Mighty One!" Virgil cried, immediately distracted from Max.</p>
<p>"I think I slowed him down, but it's not going to be enough," Maximus said. Then he fell heavily against the counter, face losing all color.</p>
<p>Virgil ripped Max's apron from where it had been hanging over a nearby chair and began binding the wound that bled so heavily. "This...none of this is in my scrolls," he said, almost babbling. "There's nothing...destiny should not...I don't understand."</p>
<p>"Virgil," Maximus said. "It's okay. Listen to me. It's okay."</p>
<p>"No, Mighty One. We need to...I can't carry you. You're too big. We need to reach a portal. Then… somewhere...a hospital. Just…" He tied the apron as tightly as he could, but it soaked through almost at once. Max handed him Eliot's apron and a towel from the rack as well.</p>
<p>"Max." Maximus was looking at him and Max didn't realize he was hyperventilating until a large hand landed on his chest. "Breathe."</p>
<p>Max shut his eyes, feeling the Mighty One trying to pat him comfortingly.</p>
<p>And because his eyes were shut, and Virgil was distracted, neither of them saw Maximus slip the Cosmic Cap from his head and tuck it into Max's pocket.</p>
<p>"I'm not going to walk out of here," Maximus said. "So you have to go. Run for the others. I'll slow him down if I can."</p>
<p>Max opened his eyes and shook his head. "N-no. You…"</p>
<p>"It's okay," Maximus said. "I'll handle Virgil, too. Just go." He rubbed a bloody hand on Max's shoulder in what was probably supposed to be a comforting motion, but it mostly just smeared blood on the kid's shirt. "Run."</p>
<p>Max hesitated, then wrapped his hand around the bracelet Eliot had given him. Without a backwards glance, he darted out the other door at the back of the kitchen towards the alley.</p>
<p>"Mighty One," Virgil said, "how-how could you? The world, we need, you cannot just…"</p>
<p>"Virgil," Maximus said. He slid to the floor, leaning against the counter. "Go start the gas in the oven. I'm not sure it'll be enough to kill whatever that thing is, but we have to try."</p>
<p>Virgil actually froze. "Mighty One…"</p>
<p>"Please, Virgil. If you've ever trusted me, do as I say. I'm asking you as the Mighty One."</p>
<p>And Virgil, though there were tears on his feathers, obeyed. He mentally calculated the probabilities and opened the gas lines as wide as he could. Then he returned to sit beside Maximus.</p>
<p>"Mighty One...I…"</p>
<p>Maximus smiled and leaned against Virgil in a familiar, comfortable way he had never really taken the time to do before.</p>
<p>"Virgil, just...know how sorry I am. For all of it. This whole world is my fault. I never told you. But I'm grateful I was given this chance to be the Mighty One for a time. When I die, know that I do so with only one regret."</p>
<p>"What's that?"</p>
<p>"That I wasn't strong enough."</p>
<p>Virgil tried to look at him, but Maximus held him in place at his side. "Strong enough for what?"</p>
<p>"You'll know."</p>
<p>The door opened and the thin stranger entered. He looked at them both, cocking his head as if a child interested in burning ants with a magnifying glass.</p>
<p>"So the boy has fled? No matter."</p>
<p>"Virgil," Maximus coughed, paler still and the floor was covered with his blood.</p>
<p>"I...I can't."</p>
<p>Maximus summoned up a smile and actually ruffled the feathers on Virgil's head. "Thank you, Virgil. Never change."</p>
<p>He leaned over to where there was an outlet in the base of the counter. With a powerful yank, he ripped the outlet cover and the inner workings straight out of the wall. Even as the exposed wires caused him to flinch, he gave the whole thing a vicious twist.</p>
<p>Wires hit metal, electricity arced between them, and the gas ignited.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max was almost two blocks away when something made him stop. He turned back just in time to see the fireball erupt from the ground. The roar of the explosion and its shockwave knocked him back.</p>
<p>Blinded by tears, Max got his feet back under him and turned to keep running.</p>
<p>Suddenly there were tires screeching nearby.</p>
<p>"Max!"</p>
<p>Max fell into a familiar set of arms as Nate caught him. "N-Nate, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"</p>
<p>"The hotel," Eliot said, and Max couldn't read his voice at all.</p>
<p>"I couldn't save them!" Max cried wildly. "Virgil and Maximus and Bran and...S-S-Sophie…"</p>
<p>He felt Nate freeze and immediately pulled away.</p>
<p>Sophie was gone and it was his fault. Just like the man said it would be. Max had killed Sophie, had taken her away from Nate forever and it was <em>all his fault</em>.</p>
<p>But he couldn't stumble more than a few steps back before Eliot caught him.</p>
<p>And while Nate swayed and looked like he might be sick, Eliot was solid. Eliot wrapped his arms around Max and held on.</p>
<p>"Who was that man, Max?" Eliot asked, and Max couldn't understand the strangeness in his voice, how he could be gentle and raging and something Max didn't have words for all at once.</p>
<p>"I...I don't know." Max couldn't cry and explain at the same time, but he tried. "He...he said it was my fault. That he was going to kill me, and that someone would get hurt because of me. And...I told him. I told him he could kill me as long as he didn't hurt Sophie but then Maximus and Virgil...and it's my fault…"</p>
<p>"Stop." Eliot actually shook him. "We don't have time for me to fix this, so you have to trust me for now. Just...take a deep breath, Max. I know you're not okay, but you've got to hang in there for me." Without waiting for a response, Eliot dragged Max to Nate's side.</p>
<p>"Nate." And Eliot said a hundred things with that one word, and somehow Nate heard it. "Come on."</p>
<p>Somehow Eliot managed to get an arm around Nate's without letting go of Max, and he started to lead them back towards the hotel. Not at a run, but a slow walk. Max could tell that Eliot didn't think anybody had survived the blast, but he also seemed to understand that he wasn't going to be able to get Nate to go anywhere else.</p>
<p>Together, they stopped a block away from the fiery carnage. Max was still crying and didn't bother to try to stop himself. He was pretty sure Nate was crying, too. When he looked up, he realized that Eliot was actually holding Nate back, and not gently, either. Suddenly afraid, Max wrapped his arms around Nate's stomach.</p>
<p>"I'm-I'm so sorry," he hiccuped.</p>
<p>But Nate quit fighting Eliot and hugged him instead.</p>
<p>"This could have been avoided."</p>
<p>All three of them looked up to see a thin figure framed by the fire striding towards them. He seemed to shrug the flames away.</p>
<p>"No!" Max shouted. "Please, no!"</p>
<p>"How many more will die for you, boy?" the man asked, moving forward inexorably like a glacier. "How many more lives will you ruin before you die?"</p>
<p>Nate's grip on Max, and Eliot's, both turned painful at the same time. They anchored him almost desperately.</p>
<p>"We can continue to play if that is what you wish."</p>
<p>And suddenly Lucille came <em>screaming</em> around the corner and slammed straight into the man.</p>
<p>The side door opened, Norman crouched there. "Get in!" he roared.</p>
<p>It was Nate who managed to move, using his entwined grip on both Max and Eliot to drag them along. Eliot fought more, but Nate gave a wordless snarl that was more animal than human, and Eliot gave in long enough for Norman to get his larger hands around him. The three fell into the van, almost into Norman's lap, and the door wasn't even completely shut before the van took off once more.</p>
<p>"Is it true?" Hardison demanded from the front passenger seat. "Is Sophie…?"</p>
<p>"Yes," Eliot managed.</p>
<p>Parker made a noise that defied explanation, and the next turn she took with the van threw them all against the door like ragdolls.</p>
<p>"That thing isn't human," Norman said then, righting himself and helping the others. "It shouldn't have survived the explosion."</p>
<p>"What is he?" Max asked. "Why does he want to kill me?"</p>
<p>"Doesn't matter." And Eliot's voice was darker than death. "It's not getting anybody else."</p>
<p>"Please tell me you can kill it," Nate said, and there was hatred in his face and his voice that matched Eliot's own. "Norman, tell me you can kill it."</p>
<p>"I don't know." But Norman looked down at Max, still clinging to him as well as Eliot and Nate, and his expression went tight. "But I'll try. I used to eat monsters for breakfast."</p>
<p>"Parker, look out!" Hardison screamed.</p>
<p>There was a figure in front of the van. Lucille hit and swung sideways as if crashing into a building. In the back, Norman's reflexes gave him the advantage — he latched onto the three back there with him and held them, trying to shield them with his bulk.</p>
<p>Lucille spun wildly, then smashed into something solid with an earth-shaking <em>crunch</em>.</p>
<p>Max felt dazed — he knew someone was moving him, but he couldn't get anything to make sense. It was like being upside down underwater. As fog faded from his eyes, he found he was being held up by Eliot outside the van, while Norman was inside trying to pull Nate out.</p>
<p>Nate was trying to reach through the mangled car to the front seats.</p>
<p>Max saw blood and bone, and knew.</p>
<p>"God, please, no," he heard Nate whisper.</p>
<p>"Nate." And Eliot's voice was hoarse. He actually shuffled Max forward and bodily yanked at Nate far less carefully than Norman had. Wrestling the man, he pushed Nate into Norman and shoved Max sideways so the gym teacher held them both.</p>
<p>Eliot smashed out what remained of a window and tore a door open. But the bodies he pulled from the wreck and laid on the pavement were past any help.</p>
<p>Nate was shaking in Norman's grip, and Max was too hysterical even to cry.</p>
<p>Eliot turned away from Hardison and Parker and screamed into the sky a sound that would haunt every soul who heard it for years to come.</p>
<p>"It didn't have to be this way. Give me the boy."</p>
<p>Norman turned, his own body trembling with rage. "Get out of here," he said, low and dangerous.</p>
<p>Max stumbled to Eliot's side, grabbing his hand while he tugged on Nate's jacket. But he turned back. "N-Norman?"</p>
<p>"Just run, Max. I'll protect you."</p>
<p>And Max might have let go, might have walked back into the grip of the nightmare that taunted him, but Eliot and Nate latched onto his hands so he was between them like a small child, and without a word they took off running down the street.</p>
<p>"N...Nate." And Eliot's voice was so wrong it broke what was left of Max's heart.</p>
<p>"We...we can't…" Nate fought for breath, his lungs heaving as he ran too hard to sob. "Eliot, we don't stand a chance."</p>
<p>"What about Norman?" Max managed.</p>
<p>"Nate," Eliot said again, with a different meaning this time.</p>
<p>"No." Nate said it so harshly it sounded more like a bark of pain. "No, Eliot."</p>
<p>"No choice."</p>
<p>"<em>I'm not losing anyone else!</em>"</p>
<p>There were sounds of a fight behind them, but with every step they took, they heard less and less. And Max wanted to look back, wanted to see Norman again. Wanted to make sure he was okay even though in his heart he was sure he wasn't.</p>
<p>He realized Norman was going to die and he wouldn't even be able to stand as a witness to it, and his chest erupted in fire.</p>
<p>"I can't... I can't...please," he gasped.</p>
<p>"He's not taking you, Max." And Eliot sounded like rage, like war, like fire. "He's <em>not</em>."</p>
<p>Max couldn't keep up, though. His chest hurt like knives were jutting in between his ribs and he could barely breathe. He nearly fell and it was only the twin grips that kept him from hitting the ground. But between his trip and the next step, Max found himself up on Eliot's back, one strong arm supporting him and the other holding onto his cold, numb fingers on Eliot's chest.</p>
<p>Max didn't know where they were going, could barely track where they were on these streets he had known his whole life.</p>
<p>For one moment, he thought they might escape. There was nothing but silence behind them now, and they had run so far, no one could track them.</p>
<p>He raised his head, and a shot rang out.</p>
<p>Nate started to fall.</p>
<p>Max practically dove off Eliot's shoulders, getting himself under Nate before he could collapse completely. He felt warmth trickling down his shoulder from where Nate had taken a bullet high in the chest.</p>
<p>"Two left," came the voice Max hated more than anything. "And still you refuse to die."</p>
<p>"Max," Eliot whispered. "Get Nate somewhere safe. Don't look back."</p>
<p>"No, please, Eliot," Max begged. "Please, not you, too. Please…"</p>
<p>"Go, Max. Protect Nate, but protect yourself first. Promise me."</p>
<p>"Eliot…"</p>
<p>"Promise me, Max." And his eyes were steady and fearless and Max's heart broke.</p>
<p>"Okay, Eliot." He adjusted his grip, supporting Nate's weight more fully. But he couldn't leave, couldn't just say goodbye that way. So he stopped. Opened his mouth. But nothing came.</p>
<p>Eliot actually managed a smile. He reached over and squeezed Max's left wrist where the bracelet remained, using enough pressure to dig the braid of five into his skin a bit.</p>
<p>"Never forget."</p>
<p>Max gulped and his knees shook. But he straightened up under the weight of Eliot's trust.</p>
<p>"Thank you."</p>
<p>Eliot nodded and then turned away, setting himself between them and the shadow that loomed out of the night.</p>
<p>"If a ten-thousand year old warrior could not defeat me," the man said, and he was taunting and cruel, "what hope do you have?"</p>
<p>"Dunno," Eliot said, and Max could hear the Hitter's darkest smile in it. "But I guess we're gonna find out."</p>
<p>And while Eliot charged, Max dragged Nate away.</p>
<p>He could tell Nate was going into shock, and he was heavy besides, so Max couldn't carry him far even though Nate was clearly trying to help him. He stumbled into an alley and followed it to the end. He could hear the ocean now; they must not be far from one of the beaches. But he turned another corner and spotted a small church nearby. Together, they limped towards it.</p>
<p>The front door was locked, but Max balanced Nate across his shoulders and reached into a pocket, pulling out a set of picks Parker had given him just a day or two ago.</p>
<p>And his eyes blurred with tears, but he still managed to make his fingers move as she'd taught him and the door opened for them.</p>
<p>Max stumbled inside and pulled the door close, locking it again. Then he half-carried, half-dragged Nate through the annex into the sanctuary. He didn't stop until he could set Nate down behind the altar, where he hoped they would have some cover.</p>
<p>"Max," Nate gasped as he hit the ground. "Max, listen to me."</p>
<p>"Don't talk," Max said, grabbing one of the decorative brocades on a stand of candles to press the wadded up cloth against Nate's wound that still rained blood. "Please, just hang on."</p>
<p>Then he dug out his phone and called 911. As soon as the dispatcher answered, he practically shouted at her.</p>
<p>"Please, my dad's been shot. We're at the Catholic church, the one by the beach off the boardwalk. Please, please send somebody!"</p>
<p>"Can you give us your na — "</p>
<p>And the phone died in his hands.</p>
<p>Max started to shake. "He's coming. He did that to the comms. He's…"</p>
<p>"Max," Nate said, and though he was more tired than he had ever been in his life, he managed to push up away from the ground enough to haul the kid into his arms.</p>
<p>"Nate...Nate please…"</p>
<p>"I don't have much time left. But I'm okay. Nothing's going to get worse than it is. You called for help and maybe...maybe it'll get here. But if it doesn't, I need you to stay away from that thing out there. I need you to keep yourself safe."</p>
<p>"I'm safe with you!" Max shouted. "You promised!"</p>
<p>"And you promised Eliot...you'd keep yourself safe, too," Nate managed. Breathing was becoming a problem.</p>
<p>"I have to protect you!"</p>
<p>"No." And Nate held him with his fading strength as best he could. "Right now...the only thing that matters is protecting you."</p>
<p>"Nate, please. Please don't…"</p>
<p>"Max. Just run. I can't...I can't help you now."</p>
<p>"Nate!"</p>
<p>He was sliding back to the ground and he couldn't seem to stop it. But he forced his voice to go on. "There's so much I didn't get to tell the others. So much I didn't tell you, either. Don't...don't give up on living, Max. I don't understand everything that's happening, but...it's not your fault. I know that. Don't let guilt determine who you are."</p>
<p>"But…"</p>
<p>"I couldn't save my son, and it almost destroyed me. I couldn't save the others. Please. ...Please let me save you."</p>
<p>The light in Nate's eyes was fading, and all the pain and despair that had ever lived in Max coalesced in that moment into one single spear of pain straight through his heart.</p>
<p>"<em>Nate</em>!"</p>
<p>"P-please…"</p>
<p>There was a bang on the church doors.</p>
<p>"Run...M-Max…"</p>
<p>And Max ran.</p>
<p>His feet carried him to a side door, and he shot out it, putting every ounce of speed into his body, heightened by fear and grief and panic. He ran blindly, listening as best he could against his rushing breath and slamming feet, every instant waiting for another shot to sound and for the nightmare to end.</p>
<p>Eventually his feet hit sand instead of pavement. He looked up, realizing that the moon had risen behind him, most of the way to full, and was lighting up the deserted beach and the crests of the waves before him.</p>
<p>And he realized he had nowhere else to run.</p>
<p>"At last, we may finish our business."</p>
<p>Max watched the thin figure melt out of the shadows at the edge of the sand.</p>
<p>"You! You did this!"</p>
<p>"I did."</p>
<p>Max barely managed the word that was the only question that mattered. "<em>Why</em>?"</p>
<p>"Many reasons. But, unfortunately, I cannot offer you any of them. You have a much greater purpose than to understand my own."</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"I need you to die, boy."</p>
<p>Max sobbed. "Then just do it already! You already killed them all!"</p>
<p>"That I did. Thank you for finally seeing sense. It did not have to be so difficult, child."</p>
<p>He didn't hear the shot, but he felt a flash of lightning against his skin. But no bullet entered him. He clapped a hand to his hip that burned. Then another flash of lightning struck him on his exposed side. It drove him to his knees.</p>
<p>Max shut his eyes, the cold of the sand easing the pain blooming across his skin and deep against his bones.</p>
<p>It would be so easy to just give up.</p>
<p>
  <em>So many have already died. Everything you love is gone. You have nothing. Just stay down and end it. Go where the others have gone. </em>
</p>
<p>He let out a sob.</p>
<p>
  <em>All you can bring yourself now is pain. You have nothing. You are nothing. No one cares for you. No one will look for you. Bow down and I will end it for you. Allow yourself to be defeated. It will be painless. And you will no longer be alone.</em>
</p>
<p>It would be so easy.</p>
<p>And then different words, spoken so differently, rang through his head.</p>
<p>
  <em>"And we're here if you want backup or anything."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I hate to break it to you, but you are a big deal to us."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"I know we're weird and we're not your family, but at least we're safe."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Max is my son."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Every fight you win against your own fear is a fight you win for us."</em>
</p>
<p>Emptier than a void, darker than a black hole, Max got a hand under him and pushed himself to his feet.</p>
<p>"You still wish to resist me? Why? You have no reason left to live."</p>
<p>"No, I don't," and it was broken and true and awful. "I have no reason to live. But I still have a reason to fight you."</p>
<p>"And what is that?"</p>
<p>"They would want me to try."</p>
<p>"You'll die, boy. And end up lying right beside them."</p>
<p>"Probably." He would have laughed, but let out a dry sob instead. "But I can't let them die for nothing."</p>
<p>"You <em>are </em>nothing, boy."</p>
<p>"Not to them, I'm not." He hauled in a breath that burned. "And this isn't about me. This is about you. About stopping you. They...they fought to protect me from you. I...I...I can't do any less than that."</p>
<p>Max's head hurt, a dull ache that grew with every second, but he settled himself into a fighting stance anyway. Across from him, the thin man moved ever closer.</p>
<p>"You can't do any more, either. You'll die either way."</p>
<p>"Then," and he saw flashes of faces — Parker, Hardison, Sophie, Eliot, Nate — and felt a Hitter's smirk crawl into his expression from deep inside, "they'll be proud to know that I went down fighting."</p>
<p>"You cannot harm me. You will never defeat me."</p>
<p>And everything in Max's heart burst like an inferno beyond the hotel explosion, rivaling the sun. His grief, his loss, his love, his fear, his protectiveness, his loyalty, his courage. The feelings erupted from him, a rainbow that was so strong his vision nearly whited out with it.</p>
<p>But it gave him strength, and Max charged. He pulled back a hand to strike and found himself screaming words he didn't even mean to form.</p>
<p>"<em>I can die trying!</em>"</p>
<p>He struck the nightmare with a blow that had the power of Eliot behind it, the force of Norman, the strength of Branislav. He struck with Parker's precision, Hardison's knowledge, Sophie's insight. He struck with Virgil's wisdom and Nate's brilliance.</p>
<p>And he felt a crack.</p>
<p>Not in the man.</p>
<p>In <em>reality</em>.</p>
<p>Heat burst in his chest, banishing the cold. Shadows were burned from his mind. Power flowed into the void in his soul, power and destiny.</p>
<p>And the true Mighty One opened his eyes.</p>
<p>"Chosen One! There!"</p>
<p>Max pivoted, following the knowledge that came to him with the familiar voice in his mind. The beach had vanished, leaving him in a murky world of strange angles and flashing sparks, but there was a fissure in the insubstantial reality.</p>
<p>He felt a familiar vibration at his hip and drew out the Cosmic Cap from where it had lain silent in his pocket. Pulling it on his head once more, he raised his hands, gathering his powers as they came to him channeled by the Cap.</p>
<p>"I am the Mighty One!"</p>
<p>And he fractured the world.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Shattered Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry I'm a day behind. Things are not good in Minneapolis again, and I'm also trying to do a bunch of writing on the next series to go up when this fic ends after next week, and something had to give. So here's your chapter a little late.</p>
<p>The song for this chapter is "Far From Home" by Five Finger Death Punch.</p>
<p>You all made it through last chapter, so hopefully this one heals some of what I broke.</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nate opened his eyes.</p>
<p>He was surprised at that much — he was fairly sure he had stopped being able to do so. Unless this was heaven.</p>
<p>Except heaven <em>probably</em> shouldn't look like a rooftop lounge complete with couches and a pool.</p>
<p>Events came back to him at speed. And he was moving before he was even sure he could or should, before he thought about pain, before he thought about bullet wounds or blood loss.</p>
<p>Because on the next couch over, Sophie was sitting up, rubbing her head.</p>
<p>Nate pretty much tackled her into the couch, and he was crying, and she held him back, tightly, even if she was more confused than anything else. But he barely managed to hold her for more than a moment before there was a shout and a pair of lanky arms around the two of them, and an awkward weight leaning on his other side sort of trying to hug without really knowing how.</p>
<p>"Nate, what…?"</p>
<p>"Sophie, on my god you were dead…"</p>
<p>"Hardison, we crashed, I thought…"</p>
<p>And Nate realized there was a weight on his knee and he looked to see Eliot not piled on the couch with the rest of them, but kneeling as if he'd fallen in relief, his eyes wet and filled with guilt and pain and so much love, and his grip on Nate's knee seemed like the only thing keeping Eliot upright.</p>
<p>Somehow Nate managed to get an arm out and he wrapped it around Eliot's head and pulled him in. Sophie and Hardison immediately caught on and added their strength until the Hitter was safe in the pile with the rest of them, and nobody mentioned who was crying and who was shaking and whose breathing was uncertain.</p>
<p>They just held on.</p>
<p>(And Nate already knew that he and Eliot would need to talk, that the Hitter was going to feel this one in his bones for the rest of their days. That the Hitter's one job was to protect and he had failed and he might never forgive himself, and so Nate would have to aggressively forgive him until he could do nothing else. But that would come later.)</p>
<p>But it was Parker who sucked in a sudden breath, startling them all. She sat up, alarmed.</p>
<p>"What about Max?"</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Virgil sat up, rubbing his head. Beside him, even without opening his eyes, he could feel Norman stirring.</p>
<p>"Norman, are you all right?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Virgil, what happened?" Norman asked. He moved so he could sit up, automatically supporting Virgil as well.</p>
<p>Virgil looked up and shook his head. "I'm not…"</p>
<p>And his mind swam. Beside him, Norman choked on air.</p>
<p>Virgil thought he might throw up. He started to shake. "N-Norman...Norman, please...tell me…"</p>
<p>"I remember it, too," Norman said, voice low and caught between sorrow and rage. "We…"</p>
<p>"What have we done?"</p>
<p>"So, you remember now?"</p>
<p>Virgil and Norman spun to see Branislav Kovac behind them. He was pale, and his eyes uncertain.</p>
<p>"Bran," but Norman couldn't summon his usual venom into his tone this time, "you…"</p>
<p>"I <em>tried</em> to tell you, but somehow you were different here," he said, his eyes downcast. "I...I know you expect me to triumph over you that I, once again, was the superior Guardian, but I cannot and will not. Not this time. Perhaps, though, you may understand me better. When one is...trapped under the influence of a malicious power, one can do...great harm indeed."</p>
<p>And Virgil would consider that, he truly would, and he thought from Norman's expression that even the Viking Guardian would have to view Bran from a new light given these circumstances and the fact that Bran had been what they had not. That Bran had been loyal and true, had chosen correctly when they had been lost, but not right now.</p>
<p>Right now, the only thing Virgil cared about was the one thing that he could not see.</p>
<p>"Where is the Mighty One?"</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max blinked. "What the…?"</p>
<p>And then he felt a wave, almost overwhelming, of joy and relief. And a moment later he felt cool hands grabbing for his, then hauling him in for a hug.</p>
<p>"Chosen One!"</p>
<p>"Morgan!" He returned the hug fiercely. "Do you have <em>any</em> idea what's going on?"</p>
<p>"As always," she said, and Max knew she was trying to sound like herself and they both could tell she was failing miserably, "I know only as much as you do."</p>
<p>"Yeah, but sometimes you can put my memories together. So...any hints?"</p>
<p>"The last awareness of you I had was your camping trip. Then our connection was abruptly severed. Since then, I have been attempting to reach you."</p>
<p>Max swallowed bile. "Morg, I'm so sorry. You were alone in the dark again, weren't you? Are you okay?"</p>
<p>"I am well now." But her voice was still a little shaky, and Max could feel her struggling to hold her emotions in check so as not to swamp him again.</p>
<p>He tightened his grip and changed the topic. "Yeah, I remember the camping part, too. We were gonna hang out in the desert and have some non-world-in-peril time together. But then everything just...stops. And the next thing is…"</p>
<p>He didn't have to put in words, though. A lifetime of memories lived in his head alongside the life he had lived before. He remembered growing up feeling incomplete and alone, remembered never being the Mighty One, remembered emptiness.</p>
<p>And then he remembered meeting Nate and Eliot and Sophie and Parker and Hardison.</p>
<p>"Morgan! My friends, are they…?"</p>
<p>"I don't know. I cannot see through you until you wake up." She held him a little more gently. "I am so sorry you went through such pain alone. I should have been there."</p>
<p>"You're here now, so I'm okay, too. I think. But I have to find the others. And Virgil and Normie. I have to find them and get them back to normal." And he didn't shiver at the memories of Virgil's cold, dismissive eyes or Norman's nonchalant disinterest.</p>
<p>"It will be all right, Chosen One," Morgan said, knowing his thoughts as always. "If anyone can break the spell they are under, it will be you."</p>
<p>"You think all this was a spell?"</p>
<p>"I think it could be nothing else."</p>
<p>"Then I gotta get back there." Max gulped. "I have to see if...if they're really dead."</p>
<p>"Be brave," Morgan said, running a hand over his head. "I feel that things are not as they seem. Remember, where magic is in play, much is possible. And now that I have found you, I will be with you. Together, we will see our way through."</p>
<p>"Okay. I...I can do that. But how do I wake up?"</p>
<p>"Are you ready?"</p>
<p>"Are you?" he shot back.</p>
<p>"Yes." And Morgan's determination rose and met his own. "Someone has hurt you, grievously, and me as well. We must find them and ensure they hurt no one else."</p>
<p>Max looked at her. "There's something you're not telling me."</p>
<p>"I shall, if it matters. For now, you must focus on the battle before you."</p>
<p>Max considered arguing with her, then shrugged. "I trust you. Okay. Can you help me wake up?"</p>
<p>"Yes. Brace yourself, Mighty One, for I know not what world you will find when you wake."</p>
<p>"Yeah, but I'm facing it as the Mighty One," Max said, and felt warmth and certainty flow through his very veins, "so that counts for a lot more than I had before."</p>
<p>Morgan smiled. "So it does."</p>
<p>And she gave him a powerful mental push.</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Nate was on his feet, the others around him, eyes scanning the rooftop for any sign of Max. Across the expanse of tile he could see Virgil, Norman, and Kovac doing something similar.</p>
<p>"Nate," Sophie murmured in his ear, "look."</p>
<p>And Nate saw it. Kovac was behaving as expected, but Norman and Virgil were acting like almost completely different people. No longer did Virgil have a near-constant sneer on his beak, and Norman had lost the noncommittal air. If anything, they were more frantic in their search for Max than Kovac.</p>
<p>They looked, Nate thought, as if they were afraid for their child.</p>
<p>Also, Norman was no longer wearing the normal clothing from before. Now he wore a mishmash of armor, army pants and boots, and there was a sword clearly visible sticking up from behind him. Virgil, once they saw him properly, had always appeared in the red-brown toga, but even he looked different. The robe fit differently, and the belt was a different color.</p>
<p>It was Virgil who noticed the crew and addressed them with a voice that was far kinder, if more frantic, than they had heard from him previously.</p>
<p>"I know we owe you the greatest of apologies, but I am certain you understand that we must ensure the safety of the Mighty One first."</p>
<p>"What did happen to Maximus?" Hardison asked.</p>
<p>Virgil flinched <em>hard</em>. "Maximus...he was not the true Mighty One. He was the Cap-Bearer long ago, but only Max, the Max you know, is the Mighty One."</p>
<p>"So…" Parker said, peering at them, "Kovac was right all along. Max was the hero and you guys are supposed to be his friends and you just sorta...forgot?"</p>
<p>"So it seems," Virgil said. "Now, my memories end rather abruptly in the kitchen of that hospitality establishment. Which of you know what transpired next?"</p>
<p>"Nothing good," Eliot rumbled from beside Nate.</p>
<p>"He...he ended up on his own," Nate said. "I was the last one...the last to see him."</p>
<p>Sophie slipped a hand into his and squeezed.</p>
<p>"Bran," Norman turned to Kovac, "can you sense him?"</p>
<p>"Yes," and there was relief in his tone, "but as before, nothing about his true whereabouts. Only that he is alive somewhere."</p>
<p>"Is he hurt?" Norman pressed.</p>
<p>"I...I think he is afraid." He looked at the others. "And there is grief as well."</p>
<p>Eliot growled. "We gotta find him. He thinks we're all dead, too."</p>
<p>Sophie drew in a sharp breath, and Nate could feel her calculating the kid's response to even more grief piled on the loss of his mother. Which...Nate was going to have to think about if that even happened since he'd died and apparently not died. But first, Max.</p>
<p>"Where even are we?" Sophie asked.</p>
<p>Hardison was pulling out a phone from his pocket, but Parker interrupted.</p>
<p>"Top of the downtown Crown Shore Hotel." Then she shrugged. "What? I was bored and it's the tallest building around."</p>
<p>"Another day of navigation via buildings Parker has jumped off, check," Hardison muttered.</p>
<p>"How did we even get up here?" Nate wanted to know.</p>
<p>"I assure you," Virgil said, "the mechanism by which we have been moved is the least of our problems. We <em>must</em> locate the Mighty One. I fear that he may still be battling the evil force that divided us and…" He gulped and left the rest unsaid.</p>
<p>Nate found himself growling at the thought of Max facing off against that horror alone.</p>
<p>"Okay. Well, first thing, we need to find him. Hardison, can you start working cameras from the phone or do we need to get you a computer?"</p>
<p>"The laptop in Lucille would be better, if it survived the crash. We did crash, right? I didn't just dream it?"</p>
<p>"We did," Nate said. "We'll run a quick and dirty Bachelor Party to get past the guards and head for the van, assuming it's in one piece." He gestured to the others. "You coming with us?"</p>
<p>"Of course," Norman said.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid I cannot let you leave just yet."</p>
<p>And Nate's blood went hot and furious at the sight of the familiar, hated, <em>evil </em>being that stood leaning casually against the door off the roof where Nate was absolutely certain he had not been before.</p>
<p>Norman drew his sword and charged with a bellow. "Where is the Mighty One?"</p>
<p>Eliot started to move and it took all of Nate's strength and most of Parker's and Hardison's to hold him back.</p>
<p>(And Nate would never admit that it was fear, that he couldn't stand the idea of Eliot dying now that they'd just gotten everyone back, but it was, and he knew it was Parker's fear, too.)</p>
<p>But Nate <em>did</em> notice that the man barely moved. He just lifted a hand, and Norman smashed into thin air as if it were a brick wall. He bounced back, then struck with his sword, which froze in the air as well.</p>
<p>"Norman, stop," Virgil said, darting to his side. "He is clearly more than capable of killing us again as he already has once. You must have faith in the Mighty One."</p>
<p>The man chuckled.</p>
<p>Nate noticed that he was still wearing the long coat, but his beard seemed to have changed shape slightly. It was an inconsistency, so it stuck out to him.</p>
<p>"Who are you?" he yelled across the patio.</p>
<p>"Just a moment. I should not wish to do this more than once."</p>
<p>Suddenly a light burst in the sky above them. A swirling riot of color and energy that was accompanied by a sound like thunder and made the hair on Nate's arms stand up. He took a step back, aware of the fact that Eliot had pushed in front of him and was trying to shield all of them with his arms.</p>
<p>But Virgil, Norman, and Kovac were moving closer, faces turned to the light with hope.</p>
<p>And Max dropped from the spinning energy.</p>
<p>"Max!" many voices yelled at once, while a few called "Mighty One!" instead.</p>
<p>In midair, Max curled into a ball, performing an expert flip and redirecting his momentum with what looked like long practice. He hit one of the padded lounge chairs feet first, then sprang off it in a front roll, finally coming to a stop standing tall.</p>
<p>And he was wearing a hat they'd seen Maximus carrying, but the hat fit Max like it belonged to him and it was <em>glowing</em>.</p>
<p>And Max's eyes went wide and his face broke in a giant grin.</p>
<p>"You're all alive!"</p>
<p>But before he could run towards anyone, the stranger cleared his throat.</p>
<p>"Yes, they are."</p>
<p>Max spun on his heel to face the threat, and Nate could not quite see the same boy he'd known in this one who moved so lightly, so readily. In the light of energy in his eyes that shone brighter than the moon above.</p>
<p>"Nate," Sophie whispered, "whatever's happened, this is how Max is supposed to be."</p>
<p>In front of him, Eliot was nodding. "And he's better than he was before."</p>
<p>"Textbook landing," Parker added.</p>
<p>"So, what in the actual hell is going on?" Hardison wanted to know.</p>
<p>Nate pressed on Eliot's shoulder, and after a beat the Hitter softened his stance and allowed them all to move forward towards the others.</p>
<p>Max glanced over his shoulder, and Nate caught that look — Eliot did it all the time: "Okay, noted your position in case I have to do something about it."</p>
<p>He was pretty much with Hardison now. <em>What the actual hell?</em></p>
<p>On the other side, Kovac, Virgil, and Norman were crowding as close as they could against the invisible barrier.</p>
<p>Max stood with his shoulders back and his chin up.</p>
<p>"So, is it time for your Evil Monologue? Gonna tell us all about your plans and how you want to take over the world?"</p>
<p>"An explanation, I believe. But first, Mighty One, I am going to need you to keep yourself well under control."</p>
<p>And he shifted.</p>
<p>His black eyes turned brown, and he broadened, no longer so terrifyingly and almost inhumanly narrow. His beard lost its sharp points and turned silvery. And his hair lengthened as well.</p>
<p>Virgil gasped. "It's you!"</p>
<p>"It's been a long time, Virgil. And you, Lancelot." He smiled a little. "Oh, it's Norman now, isn't it?"</p>
<p>"Who…?" Kovac began.</p>
<p>"<em>Merlin</em>."</p>
<p>But Max's voice shook. And he was clutching his hands in tight fists up on his chest as if holding back a flood.</p>
<p>"I know you are unduly influenced by my former student, Mighty One, but if you and she cannot control yourselves, I will banish her from your mind again so we may speak more easily."</p>
<p>"No!" Max hauled in a breath that looked like it hurt. "I won't let you. But…" he swallowed. "Morg, please," he whispered.</p>
<p>Nate's eyebrows went up. <em>Again, what the hell?</em></p>
<p>"Perhaps this will ease your minds." The stranger — <em>apparently Merlin</em> and this was a thing now — held out his hands which started to glow. "For the duration of this conversation, I give you my oath sworn on my power's heart that I shall tell only that which is true and offer no harm to any present here."</p>
<p>"Virgil?" Kovac asked.</p>
<p>"It's a serious oath," Virgil said. "If the Mighty One accepts it, he will be bound by it."</p>
<p>Max ducked his head for a moment, then stepped forward. He faced the man, then put his right hand on the glowing nimbus rising from Merlin's own.</p>
<p>"As the Mighty One, I accept your oath."</p>
<p>The light vanished, and apparently so did the invisible wall because Norman almost tipped forward.</p>
<p>"Okay, now I need answers," Max said, stepping back and crossing his arms against his chest.</p>
<p>"So do we," Nate said.</p>
<p>Max looked over his shoulder and his expression went a little small. "Oh, right. Wow. Uh…"</p>
<p>He hauled in a breath and spilled out a story that had Nate's head spinning. About being called as a hero at the <em>clearly appropriate</em> age of <em>eleven </em>to save the world from an immortal demon with designs on rewriting the entire universe. About almost dooming the world, but turning back time and reliving two years over again. About fighting monsters, demons, demigods, aliens, and megalomaniacs and emerging triumphant, but not without losses or scars. About Virgil and Norman, fated to die, but saved by Max's ability to rewrite destiny. About Bran called as a second Guardian but possessed by a spirit of violence. And about Morgan le Fay, trapped in the space between dimensions who was somehow connected to Max through his inborn powers.</p>
<p>And Nate realized two things as he listened to the boy talk, gesturing wildly while Norman and Virgil looked on fondly and Kovac wistfully.</p>
<p>First, that there was no possibility of not believing him. Maybe even without the whole Virgil-not-being-human, magic portals in the sky, glowing hats, and apparently wizards thing. Max's spirit shone out of him, and Nate could feel it. Could feel that the universe wanted to bend for him.</p>
<p>Second, that his kid was <em>extraordinary</em> in every possible way, and he <em>could not be prouder</em>.</p>
<p>Even if he was, quietly, scared to death, too.</p>
<p>By the time Max finished, most everyone had found or dragged seats nearer, though no one had yet approached Max too closely. And Max seemed to encourage it, keeping himself mostly between Merlin and everyone else.</p>
<p>Max turned back to Merlin.</p>
<p>"So. Now that everybody's caught up, how about you tell us how we got here, where even here is, and what the heck you think you're doing?"</p>
<p>"I will first say that I do not expect you to agree with me in any way, Mighty One. The choices I have made to bring you to this point were made out of necessity, and in this case, there was no room for compassion. But I must believe that this experience will bear worthy fruit."</p>
<p>"Lots of words, not a lot of explaining," Hardison said, glowering from where he was holding tight to Parker's hand.</p>
<p>Merlin merely raised an eyebrow at the Hacker.</p>
<p>"For where you are, this is truly a different dimension than your own, one completely untouched by magic except what we brought with us. There have never been demons here, and never shall be."</p>
<p>"What about aliens?" Parker wanted to know.</p>
<p>Merlin did ignore that.</p>
<p>"My purpose in bringing you here as I did was simple. To ensure your future victory, it was necessary to inoculate you against a particular weakness."</p>
<p>"You changed all our memories," Norman said, and he was furious. "You took the Mighty One's powers."</p>
<p>"Memories are easily rewritten. But I could not <em>take</em> the boy's gifts, as you say — there is no force in any universe that can do so against his will. However, I was able to suppress them along with his memories, pushing them beyond his reach even in his greatest moment of desperation."</p>
<p>Merlin actually looked proud of himself and Nate wanted to hit him.</p>
<p>"But what was the point of it?" Max asked. "Why did you do it?"</p>
<p>Merlin nodded. "The difference between my powers and the Lemurian ways of knowing are vast, and numbered amongst them is the lack all Lemurians had for sensing the future. They could predict it, could know what must happen, but they could not <em>feel</em> it. They would know a storm might arrive, but could not smell it on the wind. And such is my greatest preternatural talent."</p>
<p>Virgil choked. "You know what is coming?"</p>
<p>"You do as well, Virgil. But I know <em>when</em>."</p>
<p>Max glared. "When <em>what</em>?"</p>
<p>"The final battle against Skullmaster," Virgil said, voice dropping in horror. "It must be nearly upon us."</p>
<p>"It is," Merlin said. "Your time is measured not in years, but in weeks. Soon you will stand against the greatest evil of our world, and you must triumph or all will suffer and die."</p>
<p>Nate wanted to offer Max some reassurance, but Max let out a breath and, if anything, stood up straighter. "That's good to know, but doesn't explain why you did this to us."</p>
<p>"Has Skullmaster ever attempted to influence your mind, Mighty One?"</p>
<p>Nate lurched in his seat when Max flinched and said, "Yes."</p>
<p>"Did he succeed?"</p>
<p>"Eh, kind of." Max looked at his feet. "I mean, I guess. I had to hear his thoughts for a while, and feel what he wanted me to feel, and it...yeah, sure."</p>
<p>"The Crystal of Souls is not Skullmaster's only method of controlling the mind of another. He has many options available to him, each more cruel and effective than the last. And this is one way in which I cannot allow history to repeat itself."</p>
<p>"Can't what?"</p>
<p>Merlin's stoic expression cracked. "I would rather not be the bearer of this news, but if I am not then I am certain Skullmaster will use it against you himself. Still, Virgil, forgive me."</p>
<p>"I don't like where this is going," Sophie whispered.</p>
<p>"The reason I was able to summon Maximus here as part of the illusion is because he is not dead," Merlin said. "Though he has dearly wished for it, I believe."</p>
<p>Nate watched Virgil's whole body lock up. "No. No, it cannot be. He died at Skullmaster's hands five thousand years ago, to secure the Cap."</p>
<p>"He tumbled into the portal five thousand years ago, leaving you the Cap behind. But Skullmaster did not kill him."</p>
<p>"Are you telling us that guy is alive in Skull Mountain somewhere and we just left him there?" Norman roared.</p>
<p>Merlin turned his eyes on Virgil. "The Maximus you knew, for all intents and purposes, died when he succumbed to Skullmaster's evil. But he is alive. In Warmonger."</p>
<p>Max rocked back on his feet. "Skullmaster turned Maximus into <em>Warmonger</em>?" He started to breathe too fast. But before anyone could even move to help him, he closed a hand into a fist and forcefully regulated himself, tapping a rhythm on his thigh.</p>
<p>Virgil, on the other hand, looked <em>devastated</em>. Norman actually put a hand on his shoulder, and seemed to be holding on.</p>
<p>It was Kovac who spoke up into the tension. "So you feared that the Mighty One might be similarly corrupted and acted to prevent it."</p>
<p>"Yes. It was a vulnerability I could not permit to remain, knowing that Skullmaster had already succeeded once."</p>
<p>"But how could bringing him here do such a thing?"</p>
<p>Nate was glad Kovac asked, because he wanted to know, too.</p>
<p>"It is nothing to do with the dimensional shift itself. Rather, by removing every hope, every shred of positive emotion and association, breaking the Mighty One down to nothing, he would be forced to resist my manipulation with nothing to help him but his own innate powers. Upon doing so, he shattered my control. He has done what none in history have ever managed. And if he can do that much, then he will have a resistance to Skullmaster doing the same."</p>
<p>"Wait." That was Eliot, and he was <em>mad</em>. "You brought him here, made him suffer, put him through the worst hell you could come up with, just to break him down so hard he can't be broken again?"</p>
<p>"I told you," Merlin said. "There was no compassion in this necessity. I have cast out his weakness and replaced it with strength. You might be grateful."</p>
<p>Max swallowed, but looked up with anger. "Morgan's right. You're a jerk."</p>
<p>"Brave words from a boy who little understands his own powers. But possibly not incorrect. To be honest, I do not care about your protectors or allies. I am cruel and I will be cruel. I am cursed to see much farther than you, child. Further than your Lemurian, further than any who have walked this Earth since the first Eldest of Lemuria. And I am bound by one and only one aim — to protect this world from destruction. Morgan le Fay never forgave me for sacrificing lives for the sake of the future. But so I have done and so I will continue. The world is made up of chess pieces, Mighty One. And I will ensure that they move against evil in any way I see fit."</p>
<p>"I didn't agree to play your game, Merlin."</p>
<p>"Oh, I am not the chessmaster. That honor falls to you. I am the one who has carved you the pieces to stand upon your side of the board. And when you rise victorious and Destiny is served once and for all, know that the blood I shed formed your proving ground." He even gave a little bow.</p>
<p>Max glared at him. "And we will never do things your way again."</p>
<p>"I look forward to it, Mighty One. More than you know."</p>
<p>And Nate hated that he believed the guy.</p>
<p>"In addition, there were a few other benefits to my methods. It did help you, did it not, Branislav Kovac? To be able to stand at the side of your Mighty One with a clear mind? And, you, Morgan — yes, I know you hear me and despise me, but it is my hope this will help you remain clear-minded if the Mighty One's battle with Skullmaster again separates you two. And Virgil. Skullmaster <em>will</em> try to unbalance you by revealing Warmonger's identity to you. Now you have the time to prepare so you are not distracted."</p>
<p>"Okay, you know what I've learned from Peter? You don't 'help' people without their consent," Max said, angry. "You don't get to decide what any of us need, and you don't have any right to teach us 'life lessons' without our permission!"</p>
<p>Merlin's face darkened. "And yet you are the one most in need of such teaching, Mighty One. Now you have faced true grief. Now you have been alone and empty, have had to bury a loved one, have learned to live through loss. So should one of your beloved companions die in your battle to come, you have some hope of maintaining yourself enough not to fall sobbing in a heap at Skullmaster's feet."</p>
<p>He pointed a thin finger at Max.</p>
<p>"When last you lost Virgil and Norman, you had a matter of minutes to face those feelings. Now you have seen and experienced true grief. Now you stand a chance of surviving not just the battle against Skullmaster, but the days and weeks that follow."</p>
<p>"Yeah, well, don't quit your day job," Max said. "I have a <em>good </em>therapist. You stink."</p>
<p>"Excuse me," Nate said suddenly. And he didn't wither under the eyes that fell on him with the weight of ancient years past. "Whether we agree with what you're saying or not, you haven't given any reason you put the rest of us through that. Or what, exactly, happened in the last hour before we woke up here."</p>
<p>"Oh." Merlin actually waved vaguely as if Nate's point was of little concern. "Everything after you had that little toad arrested was an illusion, just as the boy's mother in this dimension was an illusion along with her death. And the purpose of your own suffering was to ensure the Mighty One's devastation would be complete. It would not do for him to be able to rely upon the support of others. I had to remove all foundations from him so he could gain the strength necessary to resist Skullmaster."</p>
<p>"You." Max looked up, and he was shaking. "You put them through <em>that</em> just to get to me?"</p>
<p>"Of course. As I said, I did what was necessary."</p>
<p>Max took a step forward, shoulders high and head low. He looked, Nate realized, a bit like Eliot right before the Hitter attacked.</p>
<p>"Doing that to me was bad enough, but I'm the Mighty One. It's my job to deal with stuff like this. But they were never part of this! You had no right!"</p>
<p>"We must disagree," Merlin said, calm and Nate hated it. "I require no right to do what is needed. And it was you yourself who made them a part of it, as you say. I did warn you."</p>
<p>At that, Max deflated. His arms went loose and his head dropped. He turned to Nate.</p>
<p>"He's right. You wouldn't...if I hadn't pulled you in, you wouldn't have had to…"</p>
<p>Nate was moving before he realized it. He crossed the few tiles between them and reached out. No one had touched Max since they'd woken up, no one had even approached. But Nate did, and he didn't stop until he had the kid in a firm hug.</p>
<p>"This is not your fault. And no matter what, we would never have wanted you to go through it alone."</p>
<p>Max relaxed into the hug. "You did help. All of you. At the end, when I fought back, it was because I wasn't...because I <em>did</em> have something to hold onto."</p>
<p>Nate patted him on the back a few times, then let him go. Max smiled up at him, but then turned.</p>
<p>Apparently Norman decided it was no longer a moment to hold back and moved towards the kid. Nate catalogued every move, every twitch of emotion (and knew Sophie would be doing the same), but the man who smiled at Max now bore almost no resemblance to the coach they'd turned to their side.</p>
<p>"Hey, big guy," Max said. "It's really good to see you again, for real."</p>
<p>Norman rested a big hand on Max's shoulder, drawing him near to his side, his eyes warm and suspiciously wet. Nate wouldn't have taken the guy for someone who would freely show his emotions, and he was actually okay being wrong about that. Norman didn't hug Max as he had, but the closeness and the way Max's body language showed relief and welcome and ease spoke more clearly than an embrace would.</p>
<p>"Mighty One...I…"</p>
<p>"Virg." Max, without leaving Norman's hold, turned to him and smiled. "It's okay. It kind of wasn't you out there. I know <em>you</em> are always on my side. I know you aren't what he made you."</p>
<p>"No," Virgil said, and he looked sad and emotional in a way Nate would never have expected, "but the <em>reason</em> I am not what Merlin made me is <em>because</em> of you, both of you. My relationship with Maximus was, well, what you witnessed. It was Norman's influence over the last few thousand years that began the change in me, and you yourself who completed it, Mighty One. It pains me to know what I could have become, and it heartens me to know what I am because of you both."</p>
<p>The three shared a warm look that both made Nate feel that he was intruding and grateful to know that the kid had his own support network when they weren't being mind-controlled by a horrible person with an agenda.</p>
<p>Max finally stepped away from Norman, squeezing Virgil's hand as he went by, before he stopped in front of Kovac.</p>
<p>"Bran, I just...wanted to say thank you. Morgan told me she helped you get here to find me, and…" He shrugged. "I'm really glad to know who you are when you're yourself." His expression hardened. "And I'm going to save you somehow. I <em>promise</em>."</p>
<p>"I believe you, Mighty One," Kovac said. "And until then, know that no matter what the evil within me does, I am ever loyal to only you. But continue to be cautious. I am not safe for you while Locknarr lives in my mind. Even White Blaze can barely contain it."</p>
<p>Max smiled. "Say hi to him for me when you see him, okay?"</p>
<p>"I will."</p>
<p>"Well, then," Merlin spoke up. "If we are finished here, the Mighty One has been absent from his own world for quite some time and there are evils there that need vanquishing. I shall return you all — "</p>
<p>"Stop."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>All credit to the twist regarding Maximu's fate belongs to thepreciousthing and whatdidyouexpect who came up with it multiple years ago, shared it with me, and agreed to let me play with it.  </p>
<p>Thanks, both of you!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Fly On</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, we've reached the end. This is the last MM from me for a while – for at least the rest of this year and next, I'll be diving into another fandom. But if you enjoy the MCU…</p>
<p>Anyway. It's been amazing, as it always is, to share this story with you. Thank you for indulging me on this journey and taking a risk with a mashup of fandoms that didn't play by my usual rules.</p>
<p>The theme for the last chapter is "O" by Coldplay. Definitely the right track for the end credits on this one.</p>
<p>Stay safe, folks. See you around!</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nate blinked as Eliot stalked forward. He raised his head and frowned at Merlin. "You're just gonna leave like that? All of you go back to another world?"</p>
<p>"Of course."</p>
<p>Eliot shook his head. Without taking his eyes off Merlin, he said, "Max, I'm not sure this is a good idea."</p>
<p>"What do you mean?"</p>
<p>"All this stuff is true, I get that. Which means all the other stuff is true, too, about you fighting monsters and gods and aliens on your own."</p>
<p>Norman and Kovac cleared their throats at exactly the same time, and Virgil raised a feathered hand as well.</p>
<p>Eliot ignored them. "Kid, I know how good you are, but how do you expect me to just let you walk back off to Oz like that?"</p>
<p>"Oh, Eliot," Sophie said. Nate realized the others had come closer as well.</p>
<p>"You should stay with us," Hardison said. At the same time, Parker said, "We should go with you."</p>
<p>Nate stared at both of them.</p>
<p>But Eliot nodded. He turned his full attention to Max after a lightning-quick glance to Norman that Nate didn't miss, and he would think about what that acknowledgement signified from the Hitter when he had time to consider it.</p>
<p>"You've been through literal hell, Max," Eliot said. "And don't pretend you didn't leave out the worst stuff. You've got scars inside and out. Now it's just going to get worse when you go up against some guy everybody agrees is the most dangerous evil in the history of your world."</p>
<p>"That's why I vote he stays here," Hardison said. "Leave Darth Sideous for somebody else to handle."</p>
<p>"No, that's why we should go with him," Parker pressed. "Because if he's gotta fight evil, then he can fight it with help! Maybe Nate can even do that scary mind control thing on Skullmaster." She paused, blinked. "Oh, no wonder that Merlin guy had to do all this. Mind control is literally in the bad guy's name."</p>
<p>"Let's focus here," Nate said before they went too far afield.</p>
<p>Max was shaking his head. "I understand what you mean," he said, looking at Hardison, "but I can't stay. I'm the only person who can beat Bonehead, and if that fight's coming up fast, then I need to be there. It's...it's my Destiny. And I ran away from it for way too long. The world is counting on me."</p>
<p>"Right, so we come with you," Parker said, and Nate didn't like the sharp edge in her expression. The face she made when she was feeling something she didn't want to feel and didn't know how to handle.</p>
<p>"I…" Max wavered.</p>
<p>It was Virgil who stepped up. "No, Mighty One. You know that Destiny cannot be so easily thwarted."</p>
<p>"Technically," Merlin said, "there is no Fate in this dimension. No one here has any Destiny to thwart if they leave."</p>
<p>"Not helping," Virgil told him.</p>
<p>Max looked at Eliot, then at Nate. And he sighed.</p>
<p>"It isn't that I won't miss you. Or that...it wouldn't be awesome having you with me. I mean, there's bad guys in my dimension, too, who could use some thieves to clean them out, and probably a bunch of not-stolen stuff you could steal. But there's also real monsters. Like, there was a Turkish prison with a guy who got driven crazy by a literal cyclops and was feeding people to its <em>eyeball</em>."</p>
<p>Even Nate flinched at that.</p>
<p>"I'm not scared of that stuff," Eliot said.</p>
<p>"Of course you're not," Max said, and his smile went sad. "But I don't want you to get hurt because you got into something you couldn't handle because of me. I hate when that happens."</p>
<p>"Mighty One," Norman said softly, "I thought you learned that it is all right to let others help you when they are doing so willingly."</p>
<p>"I know," he said. "But that was the Ghostbusters. They actually knew what they were getting into."</p>
<p>"The Ghostbusters are <em>real</em> in your world?" Hardison's eyes were bugging out.</p>
<p>"Yep,the real Ghostbusters that the movies are based on." Max shook his head. "I can't...Nate, you can't con Skullmaster. Hardison can't hack him."</p>
<p>"Could have used a Hacker on CyberSkull though," Norman grumbled.</p>
<p>Max glared at him.</p>
<p>"Just to make sure we're laying all the cards on the table," Nate said, "in this dimension, I am on your birth certificate as your father. So, while you're here, I can still say no to all of this. Just like they needed my permission to take you to Stonehenge, I could argue you need mine to go anywhere — like another dimension."</p>
<p>Nate knew that argument didn't hold water with anybody at all, but he still wanted to make it.</p>
<p>However, now that he was thinking about it, Nate realized Eliot wasn't the only one who didn't want to let the kid go back to that world alone. And Virgil, Norman, and Kovac did <em>not </em>count. They were there to protect the kid, sure, but the instant something dark and scary rose up, they would probably throw him in front of it. Who was the person with the job of keeping Max <em>away</em> from trouble? Who was the person who could give the kid a reality check that not everything had to sit on his shoulders?</p>
<p>Unless, of course, it actually <em>did</em> all sit on his shoulders.</p>
<p>Then, Nate was sure, Max needed someone to watch out for him even more. Needed support that had nothing to do with fighting demons and everything to do with getting through the normal days. Who was going to teach him to drive a car? Who was going to be there if he had questions about dating? Nate didn't take any of the three arrayed across from him as the type, even if they cared enough to do it.</p>
<p>Max had a mom, apparently, and that was a good start, but was that all the kid had? Did he have friends? Did he have relatives? Neighbors? Was <em>anybody</em> there for this kid when it mattered even if it had nothing to do with cosmic stuff?</p>
<p>He hadn't fully realized it until that moment, but now Nate couldn't deny that he had been spending the last three-ish weeks planning his life around having this kid as his son, and now that he was faced with maybe <em>not</em> doing that, it felt wrong in every way.</p>
<p>Sophie squeezed his hand. "Remember what I said about Parker on the first job with Hurley?"</p>
<p>That was too much of a non sequitur even for Nate and he frowned at her.</p>
<p>"When we took Parker out of that institution, I said that she needs to be around people who better understand the issues she's struggling with. People more like her." She smiled. "Max has the people who understand him. He has what he needs."</p>
<p>Nate scowled. "No, he doesn't."</p>
<p>And he realized a second too late that Sophie was saying it to force a reaction out of him, whether she actually believed it or meant it or not. But that was <em>after</em> the reaction happened.</p>
<p>He'd been thinking of Max as his kid for too long. Now it was stuck. <em>He</em> was stuck.</p>
<p>But it was Max who caught his eye and held it. There was power in that gaze, a fervent light within that Nate had only hoped the kid might someday find, and now it glowed brighter than he ever expected it could.</p>
<p>"I <em>do</em> have the people I need, Nate. Not just them, but my mom and Peter, too. And I've got friends who know I'm the Mighty One, but they're just regular kids like me. I'm...I'm okay."</p>
<p>But Max had stopped looking at Eliot, and Eliot pounced into that lack of situational awareness by grabbing the kid by the shoulders and spinning him around.</p>
<p>"You're <em>not</em>. And I should know."</p>
<p>And Nate realized that maybe Eliot was the only one of them who could really understand. Because they lived in worlds of different monsters, but they both killed those monsters. And they both had innocent lives in the crossfire — and he did not want to think about what Max might know about collateral damage and people he couldn't save — and neither of them could see the world as anything simple knowing what they knew. Neither of them could ever be truly normal. Even Nate himself could be, could go back to being a civilian as if he'd never been a thief.</p>
<p>Maybe.</p>
<p>Probably.</p>
<p>Anyway.</p>
<p>But it was different for Max and Eliot. Eliot had the people he needed, too, to borrow Sophie's phrase, but he still wasn't ever going to be fully okay. Even if he was happy. Even when he wasn't alone. Even if he found what he'd been looking for. He still wasn't quite going to be okay.</p>
<p>Parker's argument, or Hardison's, was starting to sound better. But Nate didn't figure he could actually get away with Hardison's version. And he wasn't sure about Parker's, not because of Max, but because of himself.</p>
<p>But Max was looking at Eliot with wide eyes full of feeling. And yet, he quietly put his hands on Eliot's and pulled himself out of the Hitter's grasp.</p>
<p>"I know. But I can't...I can't let you protect me from my Destiny. Even Normie can't do that. And if you're there, you'll try. And then I'd have to watch you die again and," his throat closed up. "Eliot, I don't want that."</p>
<p>And Nate tried not to smirk when his Hitter pulled the kid in and hugged him hard.</p>
<p>As if buying them both cover, Virgil spoke up. "Speaking more practically, the Mighty One himself does not possess the power to travel between dimensions at will. There is no telling if you would ever be able to return here if you joined us in our own world. Are you truly willing to sacrifice everything, to cut yourselves off from everyone you know?"</p>
<p>And Nate wanted to say he absolutely was, but he thought about Maggie. And Hardison had his Nana. And people like Eliot's war friends. Tara. Patrick Bonanno.</p>
<p>(He would <em>not</em> miss Sterling one bit, so that was a point in favor of world-hopping.)</p>
<p>"Not to sound impatient," Merlin said, "but I have a duty to return the Mighty One to our world, and I would prefer to do it before he actually misses his final battle with Skullmaster. So I would appreciate a decision now."</p>
<p>Nate could only barely hear Max's whispered words to Eliot.</p>
<p>"Either way, I'm going to be sorry. But I'd rather miss you and know you're safe here than worry about you."</p>
<p>"It's not your job to worry about us, kid. It's our job to worry about you."</p>
<p>"But I'm the Mighty One. So it <em>is </em>my job." He pulled back and swiped at his nose. "And I need to do my job right."</p>
<p>"Max," Nate said. But he had no idea how to finish that statement, so he just fell quiet.</p>
<p>"I can't let you all give up your whole lives for me," Max said.</p>
<p>"Kind of been there, done that," Hardison put in. "I mean, we all died to keep you safe."</p>
<p>Max winced. Sophie elbowed Hardison, and then she elbowed Parker before she could make it worse.</p>
<p>"Does this mean we'll never see you again?" Sophie asked gently, her own eyes getting suspiciously watery.</p>
<p>"You're okay with this?" Eliot demanded, angry, and Nate knew the anger of Eliot's reaction was so he wasn't anything more difficult for him to handle.</p>
<p>"No," Sophie said, "but that's how the stories are told sometimes."</p>
<p>"This ain't one of your plays!" Eliot didn't yell, and it would have been easier to bear if he had. "This is the kid's life!"</p>
<p>"Yes," she said, meeting Eliot's eyes fearlessly. "It is his life. And we must respect that."</p>
<p>"Mighty One." Virgil stepped up and gently extracted Max from Eliot, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders. "We must return home, but that does not mean a decision reached today is the only one. We have made it here with Merlin's help, but Bran came by different powers. We have traveled between dimensions before and may yet again. And you have friends who have done so fairly regularly with the aid of Egon's technology. This does not have to be the end."</p>
<p>"That's true," Norman put in. "The Ghostbusters will help if you ask them. And you'll be speaking to them anyway." He eyed the kid.</p>
<p>"Oh, yeah. Definitely talking to Peter on this one," Max said. "<em>So</em> much therapy for me again."</p>
<p>"Good."</p>
<p>"Or," Merlin added, "I could simply remove these memories from all of you. Then there would be no grief to serve as a distraction for none of you would recall each other."</p>
<p>"Absolutely not!" And Nate was fairly sure that wasn't Max yelling even though it was Max. But the inflection was wrong.</p>
<p>Apparently Merlin thought so, too. "Morgan, I did not ask your opinion. But Virgil, even you must admit it might be simpler than allowing the boy to miss his newly-acquired friends when such a battle looms."</p>
<p>"I see the logic of your proposition, but I, too, think you are in error," Virgil said. "Whether we are distracted or not, the Mighty One will fight all the harder with the memory of those he cherishes in his heart. The lessons that served him here will serve him against Skullmaster as well."</p>
<p>"Someday," Merlin said to Max, "I hope you will grow out of relying upon your <em>feelings</em>. You would be more efficient if you could act without them. But, such is not the Fate before us."</p>
<p>"I think," and that was Kovac, "such a decision cannot and should not be reached tonight. We have all been through grief and shock, and it makes us all less than our best. If Virgil is correct, and I see no reason he is not, this need not be the final word. Let us return where we belong, and when Max speaks to his friends the Ghostbusters, he may broach the subject then if he so chooses."</p>
<p>"But the problem with that," Nate said, "is that if Max decides he wants to protect us, it's not like we can do anything about it." He met Max's eyes again. "I don't like any of this, but the part I like least is not having any say in what happens after you leave."</p>
<p>"Because heaven forbid you not have control over any given situation," Sophie told him. Nate ignored her.</p>
<p>But when he spoke next, he tried to be the Mastermind and not Nate Ford whose name was on the kid's birth certificate, even if it wasn't real. It was real enough.</p>
<p>"We've got a couple of fights of our own on the horizon. Bad guys on my list that we shouldn't let off the hook so easily. But maybe having something waiting for us would give us the incentive to finish the job quicker."</p>
<p>And Max smiled. "So, how about this? I'll talk to the Ghostbusters and see if they can help me find a way to keep in touch. And when you're ready, we can have this argument again."</p>
<p>"I ain't having it again," Eliot said. "Once is enough for me."</p>
<p>Nate watched Eliot look up at Hardison and Parker, and the three of them exchanged a look that felt like it passed between siblings more than friends. A look that ended with them united.</p>
<p>"Guess I better start downloading some mythology," Hardison said. "So the next time somebody from a thousand years ago shows up, I ain't caught off guard."</p>
<p>"I'll work on...hey, Eliot, can you teach me sword-fighting?" Parker was practically vibrating, and Nate thought this might be a <em>terrible</em> idea. Because the only thing worse than Parker jumping off buildings might be Parker jumping off buildings chasing monsters.</p>
<p>"Excellent. Thank you for finally deciding." Merlin shook his head. "Then let us away."</p>
<p>He raised his arms and Nate's whole crew moved together.</p>
<p>Eliot was closest and pulled Max against him. Nate got his arm around the kid, too, and the other three managed to reach him as well.</p>
<p>"Don't forget," Eliot said, and tugged at the boy's wrist where his braided bracelet remained. "Keep fighting. And check the hell in with us, or else."</p>
<p>"I will."</p>
<p>Max's hat was starting to glow.</p>
<p>"Remember to twist left when you're working on older padlocks," Parker said.</p>
<p>"Say hi to the Ghostbusters for us," Hardison said, "and when we get there I am totally downloading everything they know and then crashing the firehouse because I gotta see that tech or I might actually die."</p>
<p>"Be safe," Sophie whispered.</p>
<p>"Nate?" Max asked, suddenly afraid.</p>
<p>And the others stepped back so Nate could gather the kid into his arms. "Still my kid, Max. Tell your mom, because we're going to have a talk when I meet her. This doesn't change anything."</p>
<p>Max huffed a laugh. "You two are gonna kill each other."</p>
<p>And he let Max out of his arms, because he couldn't say anything else. The words just didn't come.</p>
<p>But Eliot's did. "You still belong with us, Max. Whatever hat you got, or wherever you go. And don't you <em>dare</em> fight that evil without me." Then he looked over at Norman. "Protect him or I'll tear you apart."</p>
<p>"You have my word," Norman said solemnly.</p>
<p>Max gave them one last smile, then stepped back and away. To the side, a spinning portal appeared.</p>
<p>"You first," Merlin gestured at Kovac. "I'll put you where you came from to prevent the evil in your head from causing more problems."</p>
<p>"Thank you." He stepped to the portal. "Mighty One?"</p>
<p>"Don't worry, Bran. I'll save you," and Max was all determination and certainty.</p>
<p>"I know you will. Until then." And he disappeared.</p>
<p>Virgil looked up at them. "Thank you for all you've done for the Mighty One. The world is safer for what he learned from you, and he is better for knowing you. I look forward to making your acquaintance under better circumstances."</p>
<p>"What he said," Norman added.</p>
<p>They got Max between them and Nate noticed they held onto him, as he and Eliot had when running for their lives. And Max fit there, just as he had with them.</p>
<p>Nate didn't miss that the kid had tears on his cheeks, as did he. Actually, he was pretty sure they were all crying even if Eliot and Parker were both pretending not to or trying not to respectively.</p>
<p>"Thank you. I'll...I'll see you soon," Max said. "Take care of each other. G-Goodbye."</p>
<p>And they and Merlin stepped into the portal and it shut, leaving the air colder and a void in the team that Nate knew now could not be easily filled.</p>
<p>The trip out of the hotel after that point was silent and uncomfortable. They found Lucille neatly parked on the street and not in smashed pieces, and the B&amp;B was intact as well, and Nate just didn't want to think about it anymore. But no one separated for bed, even though it was closer to dawn than midnight by a lot. Instead, they collapsed in the kitchen together, and Eliot mindlessly put out food which people ate without even the usual complaining-and-or-complimenting banter.</p>
<p>Finally Nate decided to break the silence.</p>
<p>"I...I have to say," and he was trying hard to make light of the situation, "at least now if we need to fake our deaths, we've all got an experience to pull from to make our reactions believable."</p>
<p>That won him one look of horror from Sophie, one of calculation from Parker, one of exasperation from Hardison, and a flat stare from Eliot.</p>
<p>"You said you had jobs for us," Hardison said instead. "What exactly did you mean?"</p>
<p>"Well, first we need to get back to Boston. There's a little work left undone. But after that, I've been thinking about something else. I wasn't going to tell you all, but, well, maybe now it will help if you know going in."</p>
<p>And he could feel the team reset. Feel them focus forward, on the future, on the work to come.</p>
<p>Later, they would have to talk about if any of them (all of them — Nate was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to separate the team if he tried) were going to actually do more than consider following Max into a dimension of magic and monsters. It wasn't something he'd ever thought about since it wasn't actually an option before, but, if he let himself speculate, there was something deeply and viscerally appealing about leaving behind the world where Sam was gone for the world where Max was — to say nothing of a world where none of his team had warrants for them, or prices on their heads, or Sterling at their heels.</p>
<p>But that would come after.</p>
<p>"Hypothetically speaking, how do you all feel about Oregon?"</p>
<p>-==OOO==-</p>
<p>Max stumbled as he dropped out of the portal, but Norman was quick to catch him. He noticed at once that neither Bran nor Merlin were anywhere to be seen and decided that was just as well. Then he shivered.</p>
<p>"Moving between dimensions is <em>weird</em>."</p>
<p>"If your powers continue to grow," Virgil said, "someday you may do as much without the help of any outside force."</p>
<p>And Max found he could look forward to that now.</p>
<p><em>Do you think they'll come with you if you give them the chance?</em> Morgan wanted to know.</p>
<p><em>Even if they do, I'm not bringing them through until after I beat Skullface.</em> And Max refused to bend on that. Even if Eliot wasn't afraid of the fight, even if he could handle it — and the way he fought, he probably could and Max was pretty sure Norman thought so, too — that wasn't <em>fair</em>. Max didn't want them to have to come here with that hanging over them.</p>
<p>If he was bringing them into his world, he would make sure his world was safe for them first.</p>
<p>
  <em>They are going to yell at you, Chosen One. Quite a lot. And Sophie may cry at you to make a point.</em>
</p>
<p>Morgan was definitely not wrong, but Max would deal with that later. Right now, he had more pressing concerns.</p>
<p>"Does anybody even know what day it is?"</p>
<p>"Hmm." Virgil looked around. They were back at their campsite. They had chosen a spot in the American southwest with a clear view of the stars and no people about, and though their stuff was dusty and sandy and the fire long cold, it clearly hadn't been taken apart by wildlife or windstorms yet.</p>
<p>"Judging by the position of the stars," Virgil said finally, "I believe we have been absent from here for no more than two days."</p>
<p>"Is that a time-moves-differently thing, or a Merlin thing?" Max wanted to know.</p>
<p><em>Both</em>, Morgan said bitterly.</p>
<p>
  <em>Promise, next time I see him, I'll kick him in the shins for you.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>The next time I see him, I shall do much worse.</em>
</p>
<p>Max flinched. Morgan's visual was very clear, and it made him want to curl up a little. Instead, he reached for where his phone should have been in the tent. He found four missed calls from his mom, but the most recent text just said, "I assume you're saving the world. Don't forget to check in when you're done."</p>
<p>Max grinned. His mom was the <em>best</em>. He sent a quick reply. "Sorry, had to go to another dimension to learn a life lesson from a wizard. Back now."</p>
<p>Norman knelt to rekindle the fire while Virgil checked the campsite for any unwelcome visitors. He did find a snake, and Norman dealt with it while Max read the rest of his mom's messages and caught up on his voicemails as well.</p>
<p>She texted him back a minute later. "I figured it was something like that. Don't forget you have school tomorrow. Want me to get you out for a day?"</p>
<p>"YES!" he sent. Then grinned. "Mom says she'll get me out of school tomorrow, so we might as well finish what we came out here to do."</p>
<p>But Norman and Virgil were both looking at him with concern.</p>
<p>Max looked around to make sure they weren't pulling those faces at anything else. "What?"</p>
<p>"Mighty One, are you truly all right?" Virgil asked. "You've been through rather a lot of trauma. The death of your mother, your friends, leaving them behind…"</p>
<p>"It's all right if you aren't okay, Mighty One," Norman added.</p>
<p>Max sat down on the piece of wood he'd chosen for himself two days (a lifetime) prior and sighed. "I...it was a lot. But, well, in another way, I'm really okay."</p>
<p>Virgil and Norman settled in beside him.</p>
<p>"See, none of it really happened, except the good parts. Mom is okay, and we're together the way we should be. So the only thing left is having new friends, and even though it hurt to say goodbye, I really will see them again someday."</p>
<p>Neither Virgil nor Norman looked convinced, and even Morgan was glaring at him inside his head.</p>
<p>"Doesn't mean I don't need to go talk to Peter," he said. "I know there's gonna be nightmares about mom and about everybody dying. I know that. But right now I'm just so glad everybody's okay, it's hard to be upset about the rest of it."</p>
<p><em>Is that truly healthy, Chosen One?</em> Morgan asked archly in his head.</p>
<p>
  <em>Probably not, but that's where I'm at, so…</em>
</p>
<p>He braced his hands behind him and leaned back. The sky was dark but for the multitude of stars and their little campfire that sent shadows dancing in every direction. He remembered another night he'd spent under the stars, right after destroying the Crystal of Souls on his own after Toyama.</p>
<p>"It's...every time something happens, it's always the end of the world. You know? Evil radioactive llamas or giant grasshoppers or Skullmaster. It's the fate of everything. But this time, it wasn't the end. It was...kind of a beginning. Even if they don't come here. Even if I only see them when I can get Egon to open a portal for me or track down Merlin and annoy him into playing taxi. They're not gone."</p>
<p>He could feel the bracelet on his left wrist digging into his skin, and it anchored him.</p>
<p>"For a while there, I wasn't the Mighty One. I was just Max. Sad Max whose life was awful, but just Max. And now I know that I couldn't give this up. Not just because it's my Destiny. Not just because being a hero is what I'm supposed to do. But because being the Mighty One makes me <em>whole</em>."</p>
<p>He tipped forward enough to see Norman and Virgil watching him.</p>
<p>"But Nate and Eliot and Sophie and Hardison and Parker, they never saw any of that. They liked me for being Max whose life was awful. You're my friends now, but you started by only seeing me as the Cap-Bearer. They didn't believe I was the Mighty One until the very end, and they still would have died to protect me. <em>Did</em> die to protect me.</p>
<p>"So, of all the bad things that happened, the only ones I don't have to <em>fix</em> are the good ones. Peter will help me clean out the weirdness in my head about my mom and everybody dying. But I get to live knowing that out there somewhere I have more friends who aren't you two. Nate actually put himself on paper as my <em>dad</em> to save me."</p>
<p>He sat forward again.</p>
<p>"The stars are nice because they help me feel small. Not the hero who has to save everybody, but a kid like any other kid. But...tonight I don't feel small. I feel safe. The world is big, and being the Mighty One is big. But I've got more friends than ever to face it all. I've got you guys and my mom. And Bea and Felix for normal days. And the Ghostbusters, and the Ronins, and even Presely in his own world with his Guardians. And now these guys."</p>
<p>Max smiled.</p>
<p>"Being the Mighty One means a lot of bad things, but today it means a lot of good things, too. So, yeah. I'm okay."</p>
<p>"Still getting therapy," Norman said, but he was smiling too.</p>
<p>Max nodded.</p>
<p>"For my part," Virgil said, "I think I should very much like to spend tonight looking at stars. If the battle with Skullmaster is nigh, then I can imagine no better use of our time than to take tonight remembering what it is that we fight for. That was something else I lost without you both."</p>
<p>"Me, too," Norman said.</p>
<p>"Virgil, how many stars are there, really?" Max asked.</p>
<p>"Current science believes that the low estimate is one hundred billion in this galaxy alone if counting only those visible to us."</p>
<p>"Hmm." Max looked back up. "A star for every reason to fight."</p>
<p>"A star for every life worth protecting," Norman said.</p>
<p>"A star for every hope of tomorrow," Virgil said.</p>
<p><em>A star for every dream and wish that may ever come true</em>, Morgan added.</p>
<p>And Max settled in to look at the stars above with Virgil and Norman and Morgan. His future was filled with danger, more evil and peril than he'd ever known, but it was also filled with the trust of so many people, and their friendship, and their courage.</p>
<p>Tomorrow would be soon enough to dwell on the bad stuff.</p>
<p>Tonight, Max was content in the knowledge that he was not alone under the stars.</p>
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